


Hot as fire - Calm as water

by Fandoms_R_Fun



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: AU - non cannon relationship, Background Gramfield, But I will have a little fun with it..., F/F, It's just to explain why Chloe is single, Kate is a flirt, Sorry Not Sorry, hella blushing, hella inuendo and suggestion, why are all my fics slowly becoming mature rated...?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2018-12-11
Packaged: 2019-04-17 04:29:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 60,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14180637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fandoms_R_Fun/pseuds/Fandoms_R_Fun
Summary: The Punk Princess, Chloe Price, is Hot as fire. Her temper and passion fill her and drive her actions. She needs someone to anchor her...The Good Girl Next Door, Kate Marsh, is Calm as water. She hides her feelings, her pain and her true self under the cool, collected surface. She needs someone to keep her head above water...





	1. Fire + Water + Leaves = Tea

**_Chloe (Present):_ **

The door slams shut and my screams echo through out the air, shattering it like glass.

_WHY! WHY HER?! WHAT DID SHE DO TO DESERVE THIS?!_

I fall to my knees and let my head knock into my bedroom door. The tears slowly flow down my cheeks as I hug myself.

_First Rachel dies, and now Max is in the hospital, fighting for her life...I should have done better at helping her. She was up on the cliff with me, at the light house, and she was hit with some rubble as the tornado came by. It did some minor property damage and tore up the forest, but the town was safe. Nathan was found out and he's in jail, Rachel's body was discovered, and now Max has to keep fighting for dear life, but this time I can't help her...I'm totally useless here._

I take deep, shuddering breaths as I think about my best friend.

_She was so good to me, she saved me, and all I can do is go watch her lay in a bed and hope she lives..._

I take a few deep breaths and force myself to stand, wiping my eyes and walking out the door, heading off the my truck.

_Next stop, the hospital..._

\-----------------------

_ **Kate (Present):** _

I walk over to the door and I see someone in the room with Max.

_Max...the girl who was always kind to me...the girl who was there for me, when it really mattered...the girl who saved my life... I will be forever grateful Max, I hope I can be at least half of the friend that you've been..._

I knock on the door and I can see Chloe's face looking back at me. I slowly enter the room and shut the door behind me. "Hi...can I be here? I hope I'm not interrupting..."

Chloe shakes her head and sighs, looking down, speaking with a shaky voice. "I-it's f-f-fine..."

I place the flowers on the table near Max's bed next to other flowers, moving over to sit next to Chloe. "It's hard..."

Chloe lets out what is a sad mixture between laughs and sobs as she wraps her arms around her and shakes her head. "I can't stand not being able to help. I would do anything to help my friend, but I can't. There's nothing to fight or run from or do. I just have to wait. My best friend is fighting for their life and all I can do is sit her and watch..."

I slowly pat her shoulder and rub her back as she slowly begins to cry harder. Chloe leans into my side and I give her a one armed hug. We stay like that for a little while, Chloe sobbing and me holding her in a partial embrace. After a little while, Chloe calms and sits back, looking over at me and wiping her eyes. "I'm here for you Chloe. I'm Max's friend too and I'll be here for her, but I want you to know that you can always come to me."

"Thank you..." Chloe's voice is soft and horse. I smile and give her a hug. She stiffens, but eventually hugs me back with her strong arms.

_There's something else about them. They feel...comforting. They feel home like..._

I force my mind to stop, not wanting to make more out of it than it was...just a hug between two hurt friends. Wasn't it?

\------------------------

_ **Chloe (Present):** _

_This is just two friends, hugging it out. Right? She's helping me and she hugged me because I was in pain. That's all it is..._

I close my eyes tight as I force my mind to calm down.

_I'm mad with grief. Kate Marsh is, well, Kate Marsh. The good girl next door kind of person. I'm the rough street punk that you chase away with a shotgun. And I don't really know how the whole "hella Gay" situation would go over with her, religious stuff...I'll just have to make sure that I don't get to comfortable around her. I can't let her know what I really am, or she'd hate me..._

\-----------------------

_ **Kate (Present):** _

Chloe and I sit there for a few minutes in mostly silence, in each other's arms. Eventually, I can feel my heart pounding against my chest as I move back from Chloe and look her in the eyes. "How long have you been here Chloe?"

"I've been here for about..." Chloe looks at the clock and chuckles, shaking her head. "about 13 hours. I did fall asleep some, but I've been here."

"Well, when you head out, you should come stop by my place. We could have some tea and be in each other's company. I don't really want to be alone right now..."

_Everything with Nathan is over, but I still remember what happened. I was more conscious than I let him know....I know what he was doing. And Max had to go through it. She was the one who knew what was going on and Chloe was the one who turned over the information..._

Chloe looks at me and grimaces, nodding slowly. "This must be a hard time for you too Kate. With...everything that's happened...."

"I appreciate your discretion, but we both know what happened to me and I'm not going to break if you mention him...."

"It's not you who'll break, but I might..."

I nod and pat her shoulder. Suddenly, we head a groan. "C-chl...Chloe? Chloe, where are you...?"

Chloe is on her feet and by Max's side in the blink of an eye, taking her hand and whispering frantically. "I'm here, it's okay, everything's okay, everyone's safe, I'm here..."

I move over to stand by Chloe and Max looks at me, gasping slightly. "Kate...are we...did I....is this..."

"You're not dead, Max. You were struck by debris when we were running from the light house. I've been here since you got out of surgery and Kate showed up a little while ago." Chloe explains for me as I wave, blushing gently.

_She saw me and thought that we were dead? I do wonder, did she think this was heaven or hell? Well, she didn't see Nathan, so I guess that crosses hell off the list..._

I shiver slightly and look on as Max looks us over and Chloe holds her hand. "Is Warren okay?"

"Yes, your nerd in shining armor is fine. He stopped by a few hours ago and accidentally woke me up. He and Brooke stopped by. I asked her why she was here since you kinda got the guy she wanted, but she said that she couldn't hate you. Apparently even those who are jealous of you aren't that bad."

Max smiles and her eyes slowly flutter closed. "I'm glad everyone's okay...I'm gonna sleep now, you and Kate...should hang out...some...."

Slowly Max's hand went limp and Chloe's eyes darted up to the heart monitor, worry all over her face. She watched it as it kept on beeping, slowly calming down. "Well, I guess I'll follow her advice. I'm gonna stop by the front desk and let them know she woke up. Did you drive here?"

"No, I just rode the bus. Do you have any room for me?"

Chloe chuckles and nods. "Yes I have room. Even if I didn't have the spare seat space you could sit in my lap." I blush and move the top button of my shirt from side to side. "What, we're both skinny. Besides, you're too pure to do anything bad."

_So everyone thinks..I wonder what she'd think if she really knew me. Then again, I wonder what Max'd think if she really, truly knew my deepest, darkest secrets..._

I look down and clear my throat. "I'll go wait by the door." I quickly walk past Chloe and down the hall, turning the corner and walking down the staircase to the lobby.

_How does this girl get me so hot under the collar? Maybe I should just show her the personality that I try to hide. Even if she runs away screaming, she will know who I am and I just have to hope that Max convinces her to not try and have me burned at the steak..._

I take a deep breath as I walk out into the parking lot, seeing Chloe's truck and standing beside it, waiting for her to come outside.

\-------------------------------

_ **Chloe (Present):** _

_Wow, Kate just...draws you in so much...Why does she make me so hot under the collar?_

I watch as Kate walks past me and down the hall. I notice that for the first time since I've met her, she's wearing jeans instead of a dress and she has her hair down instead of in a bun.

 _Who knew that could be so attractive on her..._ _Stop, stop right there. She's Max's friend and she's trying to help me cope with grief. And I'm checking her out. What is wrong with me...well, what isn't wrong with me is a better question (and a shorter list)...._

I shake my head and walk down to the nurse's station, letting them know that Max had woken up and then fallen back to sleep. They said that they'd call me if anything else happened and I let them my number. As I walk downstairs, I begin to look for Kate. I look throughout the lobby to no avail and then go out to the parking lot. As I open the door, I can feel the wind gently caress my face and I close my eyes, taking in the cool air and feeling the breeze. When I open my eyes, I can see Kate standing by my truck, arms crossed as she looks somewhere off to the side. I can swear that I see her eyes glance over at me and if I didn't know better I would swear that she bit her lip. "Hop on in to the beast. She doesn't bite." I open my own door and unlock her door, bucking up and waiting until she gets inside. We both close out doors and head off to Blackwell.

\-------------------------------

_ **Kate (Present):** _

_I wonder if she saw me looking at her. I wonder if she really even cares. I know that once she gets to know me it won't be an issue anymore. She'll stay so far away she won't be able to see my lips or my eyes._

As we pull into Blackwell, I tell Chloe that she should wait in the truck for about a minute so that I can get my room together. I tell her where my room is and head off, taking in the look of her face while she still thinks of me as the innocent, lovely Kate Marsh that everyone sees.

_Maybe she'll accept me. Who knows, maybe she'll...NO! She's not like that. She's certainly not gay like me..._

I realize that I am already standing before my door and I rush inside, closing the door behind me. I take off my wig and throw it on my desk. I pull out the hot plate and start the tea. I take a few deep breaths and then throw my hoodie onto the side of my couch, sitting down and putting my head in my hands. After a few more moments, I hear a knock on the door. I stand up and walk over, Opening the door and hiding behind it. "Come in..."

Chloe walks in and I close the door behind her. She turns around and looks at me, her jaw open slightly as she looks me up and down. "H-hey Kate. Nice hair..."

"Chloe, before we can continue, I need to tell you a few things. One, I'm broken beyond repair and I'm a terrible friend. Second, I'm not the person that everyone thinks I am. Under what I let people see, I'm someone else entirely. And finally..." As I speak I am slowly moving towards Chloe and when I stop, she has her back against the wall, our faces being about half a foot apart. I slowly lean forward and kiss her lip. "I'm really gay..."

As I begin to move back, I can feel hands on the side of my head, pulling me back. Her lips envelope mine and I begin to kiss back. I hold her waist and I can feel her hands run through my hair. I breath through my nose as long as possible, but eventually, we both have to come up for air. When we do, Chloe looks at me with half lidded eyes, gazing deep into mine. "Me too..." Her voice is nothing more than a whisper, just like earlier. The difference is that this time it is full of passion and the huskiness of it makes me shiver a little.

We stare into each others eyes, still in our embrace with her hands in my hair and mine holding her waist. I take a deep breath and clear my throat, feeling my blush become very apparent. "Look, I'm sorry about this. I figured that I'd show you what I am and you'd just not want anything to do with me."

Chloe slowly lets go of me and I let go of her, backing up slightly. "Kate, I wouldn't hate you for what you like or who you are. Do I really come off as that shallow...?" She hold her elbow like Max does when she's nervous and I can see that Chloe is beginning to blush as she looks at the floor."

"Chloe, I've had this fear building inside me all this time. We're not old friends or ever especially close ones, but I need you to know those things about me because I want to be your friend, but I can't take it if I just lose a friend when they find out later."

"Well, let's change that Kate. I want to know about you anyways, this just brings up the issue more. Tell me, what makes you tick?"

I cringe for a moment and then hear the low whistle of the tea pot. I walk over to it and pour water into two cups. "You have any preference?"

"Do you have Licorice?"

"Why yes I do. I never knew you were a tea drinker."

"And I never knew you were such a good kisser mrs. innocent." Chloe winks at me and I chuckle softly.

"Well, first of all you probably know about the whole dark room deal, but I do remember Nathan taking pictures of me while I was drugged and restrained, I just don't like talking about it. And it was part of why I got on the roof the other day, but I was also up there because of my sexuality. I knew that after the video of drugged Kate got loose that eventually someone would find out that I didn't go for men. And I knew that my life (which was already my own little piece of hell) would get all so harder. I'm already afraid to step foot near my family, but I just don't want to make it worse..." I can feel Chloe eyes on me and I bring our tea cups over and set them on the table near my couch, sitting back and watching Chloe do the same.

She takes a deep breath and looks at me for a moment. "Rachel Amber was my friend. And I will admit I crushed on her a little. But, the news that she was dead was really biter sweat. I knew that she wasn't hurt or struggling anymore, but all the same my friend was gone. And it was right around the time that Max had gotten put in the hospital and the pressure is really weighing on me. I don't really want to be alone because all I can do is scream and throw things and smash whatever I can make break...if you couldn't tell from before, I'm a bit...passionate."

I smile at her and nibble on the bottom of my lip for a moment.

_Passionate is one way to put it...I like that...._

"I prefer to stay cold and unreadable. If someone saw me, I could be about to fall to my knees in the street and wait for everything to just be over with, but I don't want people to see." I feel a hand over mine and I look at it.

"That's really not healthy you know. What if one day you just break..."

"What do you think happened to put me on that roof. I've already broken. That's why being my friend isn't that stable of a position. I might be gone at some point." Chloe's arms are wrapped around me and I and in her lap before I really know what is going on. I hug her back and bury my hear into her chest, hearing the beating her her heart loudly.

"As far as I'm concerned it is going to be  the most secure job in Arcadia Bay. You don't get out that easy Marsh. I'm here for you just as much as you are here for me."

"We're both kinda messed up, aren't we?"

"But you're still the beautiful person underneath your scars. Just because you are damaged doesn't mean you can't be held together by some glue. Let me be that glue Kate. Let Max and I help you. Let us in..."

"Do you really want in? Are you sure you can handle all of the crap I might put you through?"

"I'll take whatever you throw at me, Kate."

"I'll let you in on one condition."

"Well, let's hear it."

"Answer me honestly here: Do you want to go out with me?"

"Well, we're two unstable teenagers with hella issues and some pretty gay feelings that we're hiding from the rest of the world in a deep ass closet that no sane person would ever look through. Yes, Kate. I'll go out with you. I know I sound crazy saying it that way, but you're the kindest, most amazing person that i know. And you put yourself out there for me to judge. That was pretty ballsy Kate."

"Thanks. I don't think 'balls' had anything to do with it, but still. Thanks."

I feel Chloe Chuckle and I nuzzle into her deeper, soaking in the warmth of her hold. "Yeah. Hey, you mind if I crash on the couch tonight?"

"No. You mind if I steal a few cuddles?"

"I do mind. What kind of a girlfriend would I be if you had to steal a cuddle. I'll just give em' to you for free."

"Well, that sounds like a deal."

"Okay. Now, I do have two more questions."

"Shoot"

"Can I call you Katie?"

"Of course."

"Okay."

"And the second question, Chloe?"

"Can we drink out tea now?"

I chuckle and nod. "Yeah, lets drink. To us."

"To us." I crawl out of her lap and sit next to her. We clink our glasses together and smile at each other. I take a sip and look at my new girlfriend.

 _We're both crazy, but hey. Where's the fun in being normal...?_


	2. Tea Time Tales

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M ALIVE!  
> Yeah, my computer crashed. I'm gonna start updating again though. My schedule won't be on point but I'll try to keep up until I can get a new PC. Anyways, here's the next part of the story (about 3 months overdue)...

_ **Chloe (Present):** _

"So Katie, how's the tea?" I take a short sip and look over to her with a smile. She smiles back and sighs happily.

"It's not my finest brew, but it is good." She looks around the room and I find myself staring at her. _**Kate Marsh, the good girl next door. Who knew that she was really a black haired girl with tattoos and metal band shirts**._ I look down at her Slipknot shirt and then back to her face, which is now looking back at me with a smug grin on it. "Do you like what you see?" Kate raises her eyebrows and sets down her empty tea cup.

"I...um...uh..." I begin to stutter as I put down my cup.

Kate leans forward and puts her hand on my chest, pushing my back until I'm laying on the arm of the couch. She places her legs between mine and leans down, whispering into my ear. "Cat got your tongue?" She kisses my neck and then moves back to look me in the face.

"Maybe..."

"What's that love? I couldn't hear you." Kate slowly traces her finger along my throat and along my collarbone.

I finally recover my voice and grin wide. "I said maybe. But that's not really gonna matter soon enough."

"Oh?" Kate stops and tilts her head, giving me the cutest look of curiosity. "And why is that may I ask."

"Well," I slowly glide my hand along her side to her waist, raising my leg and pulling her into and along it slowly. "I can make kitty purr."

Kate bites her lip and keep eye contact with me. "You think your slick don't you?"

"Well, slick enough to have a fun time every now and then." She looks at me and shakes her head, lunging forward and kissing me hard. I kiss her back and I can feel her fingers curl into my belt loops and pull me close. I pull her down by her neck and she smiles into the kiss for a moment.

After we're out of breath, she pulls back and her eyes light up in a strange way. "You want to know more about me right?"

"Well yeah, that's kinda where we're going with things."

"Well hold on for a moment." Kate gets up and walks over to her closet. "Turn around and close your eyes." I do as I'm told and I hear some things being moved around and a zipper being undone. After about a minute of rustling, I hear Kate clear her throat. "You can turn around now."

I roll over and open my eyes to see Kate standing over me with a spiked collar and several different ear piercings in each ear. She is also wearing a lip ring and is grinning at me. "Well. This is a very enlightening discovery."

"I'm glad you like it." She walks over and straddles me, sitting in my lap. We begin to kiss again and everything vanishes but the way her hands move along my body and the taste of her lips and tongue.

 

_ **Kate (3 weeks before):** _

_Why do I even try to keep up these illusions of what I am?_

"Kate?" I look up to see Max giving me a look of concern. I look at her and Warren across the table from me in the library. I look down in front of me and resume looking at my text book.

"Yeah I'm fine, Max." _I'm **NOT** fine When will you realize that there is something that I'm not telling you. Even if you have, when will you ask me in a place where I can actually tell you the truth. Can I even risk telling you the truth? You're an amazing person who is pretty open minded, but would me being gay make you wanna avoid me? Even if you don't care, it would affect your friends and everyone else in our circle. It's best if I just hold my mouth shut and pretend to be the good Christan girl that everyone thinks..._

"Are you sure, Kate? You've been looking at the same math problem for 20 minutes. If you need some help I could give you at least a few hints..."

"No, I'm fine Warren." I sigh and look back at them, beginning to gather my things. "I have to get going, I have something that I gotta do. I'll see you guys later."

"Okay, see ya." Max smiles at me as I get up to leave. When I reach the door, I glance back at the two of them. _This may be the last time that I see you guys. Alive that is._ I sigh again and leave for the dorms.

I walk into my room and close the door, locking it and going to the closet. I drop my book bag inside and then look up. I examine the noose that I have hanging there. _Well, this is it._ I walk under it and place it around my neck. _I'm tired, very tired. I need a nice, long, rest._ I pull the stool next to me and I'm about to climb up when there is a knock at the door. I sigh and leave the closet, unlocking the door just as another knock occurs. I open the door and suddenly my vision goes dark. My face feels wet and warm. _And I just got pied. Again..._ I hear giggles and running as I return to my room and grab my shower bag with some clothes and close my door, locking it on my way out. _No reason to let people in there._ I walk into a shower stall in the bathroom and close the curtain, sighing as I start up the water and eventually open my eyes. _why do I even answer that damned door anymore. I know that I'm not gonna like it._

After I finish showering and I am dressed again, I walk back to my room and lay on my couch. My phone vibrates and I look to at it to see a message from Max. "Kate, where are you? Class is about to start!" I sigh and get back up, grabbing my bag and locking the door as I run off to class.

 

_ **Kate (Present):** _

I sigh and nuzzle myself close to Chloe. We moved to the bed and we've been cuddling for the last hour or so. "You know, I've never really been accepted no matter what I try to show." Chloe pulls back and gives me her full attention. "If I try to be myself, I'll be shunned by everyone that I know from home. My family and old friends will leave me out to dry. But if I try to be the modest looking Christian girl, than everyone here will make fun of me and the only result from my family is that they only nitpick my behavior instead of full on disown me."

Chloe kisses my forehead and I sigh and she pulls me back into a warm embrace. "I accept you as you are Kate. No matter what you feel others will think and no matter how they treat you, I will always love you and keep you close."

"You don't know that!" I shout into her chest and begin to sniffle. "I know that you feel that way now but what about when you learn more about be and as you start to become a social leper..."

I'm interrupted by her laughter and I begin to feel blown off before Chloe speaks again. "I already am a social outcast Katie. I'm a high school drop out who's been left to live on her own and fend for herself for a long time. I still technically live with my mom, but she almost never sees me." I sigh and look her in the eye. "I know that no matter what I say that you'll have you doubts. And that is okay. I'll just have to prove that actions are stronger than worlds."

I begin to giggle uncontrollably and I see that she is grinning. "It's 'actions are stronger than words', baby."

Her grin grows wider and she rests her forehead against mine. "First of all, I absolutely love it when you call me that. And second of all, I think that someone like me is entitled to a little bit of creative license from time to time. It's all just part of my appealing personality."

I nod and kiss her cheek. "Hey, do you wanna watch a movie?"

"Sure thing." I get up and walk over to Alice's cage, giving her some bunny food and grabbing my laptop off of my desk. "What kinda movies does a sex kitten like you keep hidden?"

I stare at her for a moment and then begin laughing again. "C-chloe....wha-what the fuck man-n...?" As I begin to wheeze I flop down next to her and we both laugh for a few more moments. "Well, this 'kitten' likes to roll with the big cats. Not only was I originally going to study film until I was convinced that it was a hopelessly useless field (I think that's bullshit but I'm not the one paying for my schooling) but I do have a few things that a punk princess such as yourself might like."

"Really, a punk princess?"

"Yeah, is there something wrong with that?"

"No, not at all. I kinda like it actually."

"Okay, princess."

"Does that make us 'Katie and the princess'?"

I chuckle and shake my head. "THE princess, as in the great princess of something?"

"Well, how many other princesses do you see in rural Oregon? Huh?!"

"You do have a point." I move the pillow back and lean against her. "Anyways, back to the subject..." I open the laptop and open up my Netflix account. I scroll down to suggestions and I can hear Chloe chuckle.

"I should have guessed that you would probably be into saw."

"Why's that?"

"Because anyone else would expect you to be into shitty ass Christian movies that don't get airtime on normal TV. But since you're the opposite, it makes since you'd like saw."

"Christian movies send the message that atheists are evil, heartless bastards who are all pretty much a racist Mr. Scrooge. I happen to have several atheist friends and I know that they are anything but that."

"Were you gonna study philosophy too?"

"Maybe..."

"Nothing to be ashamed of Katie. We all have our interests."

"Yeah. Anyways, speaking of Saw, did you know that some of his practices are based loosely on old time Christian beliefs?"

"What?" Chloe's mouth drops open as she stares at me.

"Yeah. You see, (to make it super over simplified), they both use the concept of public humiliation to try and cleanse the soul. Of course Saw takes a divergence from that but the do share some details that some people miss."

"You know what this means, Katie?"

"No, what does it mean Chloe?"

She takes my free hand and holds it, intertwining out fingers. "Saw marathon."

"I'm up for that." I click on it and press play. As the movie begins, I nuzzle my head into Chloe's chest and take a deep breath.

_This has been an interesting day. I can only wonder what tomorrow brings..._


	3. If you love making love at midnight.

_ **Kate (Present):** _

I open my eyes and take a deep breath. My laptop is on my night table and I am on my side. I feel arms around me and begin to panic, slowly remembering where I am and whose arms are around me. I relax and turn in Chloe's arms, looking at her face.

_I've never been so happy to be myself before. I know that she is going through a lot, but she still makes me happy and she cares about me. She really cares. _I've spent years being who I was and no one knowing, but I am at home with myself. Even having fun. I could get used to this...__

Her face is peaceful as she sleeps, none of the normal hateful glares or sinister smirks of her waking hours show now. I find myself smiling as I stare and begin to think of my dream.

_I was walking with her, hand in hand down the street. Then, some people threw us to the ground and started beating us with sticks and Chloe was stabbed right as a pie hit me in the side of the head..._

I take another deep breath and sigh. Chloe twitches and I kiss her cheek. Her eyes slowly flutter open and then widen for a moment. "K-Katie? Is that you...?" her voice is horse and low, making my heart skip a beat. "Is this heaven...?"

"No, this isn't heaven. At least not the kind of heaven you're thinking of..."

Chloe blinks a few times and then smiles. "What other kind of heaven is there?"

"The one I'm in when I'm with you." I smile so wide that my mouth hurts, but I don't mind. After a moment I hold her cheek and look into her eyes. "Why does everyone assume that they're in heaven after they wake up and see me?"

"Cause you look like an angel, love." Her answer is plain and simple, but it hits me hard. I can feel myself begin to blush as Chloe kisses my forehead. "Max feels that way because you are the only big Christian influence in her life."

"Why do you feel that way." I wrap my arms around her and nuzzle into her shoulder.

"Because you have that sort of...guardian angel vibe to you."

"How so?" I feel her legs begin to wrap around mine so I help her intertwine them.

"Well, you walk into the room and things seem brighter. Even if the lights are on, a room can feel dark. When you enter, it just feels like there's more light in there."

"Well, when you put it that simply." I tease her, but I can feel her muscles tense up. I look at her face and see a vulnerable quality to it that wasn't that most of the day. I feel like she's a broken vase and I'm holding the pieces in place, the slightest movement would make them fall apart.

"When I speak of light, I mean light of the soul, not the light that you can see. You just, feel it. The mood changes and you just, make things better."

"Thank you." I kiss her gently and she begins to relax. "You do know that in school I get picked on a lot. I get things thrown at me, spitballs and I even get pies thrown at me when I'm in the dorms. You seem to have a unique view on things..."

"I mean when you are yourself. Even when you're acting, the light shines through the disguise." I take a moment to think about what she's saying and I smile. Chloe looks behind me and her expression becomes serious. "Katie, did you wake me up on purpose?"

I look down and nod slowly. "I just needed to hear your voice and feel that you were alive..."

"Bad dream?" I look up and the concern in Chloe's eyes melts my heart. I just nod and she caresses my cheek, kissing my forehead and running a hand through my hair slowly. "Wanna talk about it?"

"We were walking down the street and we got attacked. Someone ended up stabbing you and then I woke up."

Chloe nods and moves back, slowly taking off her shirt and laying back beside me. I look at her and swallow, remembering that I need to breath. Her bra is a simple black one that ends right above her abs. She reaches over and places my hand on her chest. I can feel the warmth and a slow, melodic beat of her heart. "I'm here. This is me, being alive, for you. I'll stay this way as long as you'll have me."

"I hope you're heart likes beating, cause it'll be going for a long long time to come..."

"That's perfectly fine, Kate. That's perfectly fine." We lay like that, looking into each other's eyes for several minutes. Eventually I look down at my hand and slowly take hers from mine, kissing the back of her hand. She blushes and I move my hand down to her abs. They are finely toned and quite firm, the skin being smooth. I can feel her muscles twitch slightly as my hand moves along them. When I reach her stomach I can feel the change from firm to soft. "You like what you see?"

I nod and slowly sit up, taking off my own shirt. Chloe looks at the gash in my shoulder and I can see the fear in her eyes. "I have bad dreams, but sometimes it feels like I'm in one and I just can't wake up. I used to tell dark jokes when I was feeling down, but that just made people think I was messed up and I was crazy depressed. So, the made me start taking medications. I've had a worse time when I was on anti-depressants than when I wasn't." I take Chloe's hand and press it gently over the scar. "This is a reminder of how badly the drugs mess with me..." I feel Chloe's thumb run along the scar and her eyes looking at my body slowly.

"Kate, do you still get that bad?" I cringe and close my eyes, moving her hand away and standing up. I take her hand and guide her to the closet opening the door. I turn on the closet light and I can hear her gasp. I know she's looking at the noose. I am suddenly pulled into a tight hug and I feel a wet, warmth trailing down the side of Chloe's face. "When...?" Her voice is rough and wet, confirming that she is crying.

"3 weeks ago." I begin rubbing Chloe's back and I kiss her shoulder. I hear Chloe's quiet sobs and I hold her, her body shaking violently. "close your eyes." I pull away from Chloe and take the knife that I keep in my closet. I cut down the rope and throw it in the trash. I turn off the closet light and close the closet door, pulling Chloe back over to the bed. "Open your eyes." She downs and I pull her into a kiss. She doesn't react for a moment and the I can feel her hands in my hair and on my hip. She pulls my head into the kiss and I can feel her tongue against mine. I can taste the salty wetness of her tears on my lips be we keep kissing. My lungs are on fire and I am feeling light headed when Chloe pulls away. Despite that, I feel sad that I don't feel her lips against mine.

The room comes back into focus and I see Chloe, red in the face and tears flowing, giving me the brightest smile that lights up the whole room. "I love you, Katie."

"I love you too." I smile back. I slowly stretch and yawn.

"You tired?"

"No. Humans yawn due to a lack of oxygen. Oh I do wonder why I might be lacking oxygen." We both smirk and Chloe's blush stays and she nods. I zip my jeans and undo the button, kicking them off and taking off my socks, laying down on the bed and looking back at Chloe. She looks at me with wide eyes and I smirk. "Aren't you coming to bed, baby?" She nods and slowly unzips her jeans, moving her hips from side to side as she takes them off, letting them fall to the floor and stepping out of them. She takes off her socks and throws them on her pants, slowly kneeling on the bad and crawling over to me. She looks down at me and kisses me.

"It seems that the roles have switched. Haven't they?"

"Oh really now?"

"Yes, I do believe so." She takes a hold of my hair and pulls on it, forcing me to move my head back. I feel a warmth around my throat. I can feel her teeth digging into my skin and she begins to gently suck on it. I let out a small moan and dig my nails into her back. She continues this and slowly begins to bite and suck a bit harder. I arch my back and groan again.

I place a hand on her chest and push her back gently. She lets go and I take a deep breath. "We need to keep it down."

Chloe is no longer blushing and her tears have dried. She is looking at me with determination on her face and a deep lust in her eyes. "You have a pillow. Besides, I have a little secret."

"Oh, what's that?"

"Well, you know that song where they say 'if you love making love at midnight?'"

"Yeah..." I can feel my breath hitch as she leans In closer, her hand on my hip beginning to wander.

"Well, I really connected with that line."

"Are you sure about this though? Are you sure you want to give that part of you to me...?"

Her gaze becomes serious and she nods. "I love and trust you. I'm willing to do this, but I won't push it if you aren't ready. This is a relationship and it needs to go both ways. We don't cross each other's boundaries or be cruel to each other."

I nod and take a deep breath _(I've been doing that a lot the last 24 hours)_ "I'm ready if you are. There's only one problem."

"What's that?" Chloe's voice is so full of care and concern that I feel safer than I have in years.

"It's not midnight." I nod over to the clock and Chloe reads it too. 2:00 am.

We both share a laugh and the mood becomes playful again. "You know what they say Katie, it's midnight somewhere." I am about to comment when I am hit with a passionate kiss and everything else in the room fades from existence.

\----------------

As I open my eyes, the sun is coming in gently through the curtains. I am curled up in Chloe's arms and I know that everything is okay. I gently, so as not to disturb the sleeping punk, turn my head to see the clock. 10:45am.

_I've never slept in this late, damn. This girl is really changing me._

I chuckle to myself and feel a set of lips on my cheek. "Good morning, baby."

"Good morning, Katie. Did you sleep well?"

"Thanks to you, yes." I poke her nose.

"Honk" we both giggle and I sigh happily. "So, is there anything you wanna do today?"

"Should we go visit Max again? I wanna check up on her. I know she's okay, but I just need to settle my nerves about it."

Chloe nods and kisses my forehead. "You guys are all I got right now. I've been focused on you but as soon as one of us had something we had to do I was gonna drop by there anyways."

"Well, why don't we go together."

"Sure thing, Katie." I nod and then think for a moment.

"Chloe?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we keep this relationship private? Even if we end up telling someone, I think that we should wait a little while before we let anyone know. I have to keep up my act in public and I don't want to make enemies of my own family. I trust Max, but she has enough going on, I don't want to drop a bomb on her while she's still recovering. The girl will need her strength."

Chloe nods at me and takes my hand, our fingers laced together. "Of course. We'll work out who we can tell when the times comes. Lets just get through the day." She kisses my hands and I can feel myself blushing.

"Hey," I take my free hand and begin to trace her abs with my finger. "Can't the world wait a little longer for us? I mean, we have to have breakfast first."

"I agree. What were you thinking."

"Well, we could have some cereal before we go, but at the moment I think I'll have a nice serving of punk girlfriend." I smirk and kiss her passionately, letting the world around us fade away.


	4. Welcome to the outside world

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is a song that just goes so darn well with this chapter: Two Feet - Quick Musical Doodles & Sex
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86cYacKLw5s

_ **Kate (Present):** _

As pull into the hospital, Chloe looks around and then gives me a quick kiss on the cheek. I smiles and blush, "That's pretty risky you know..."

"I'm about to enter a hospital and pretend, in front of the girl who is my life long best friend, that I am still the single girl that I was last time I was in the room with her. And I still have to be strong here. I have to pretend like I'm not still hurting over Rachel. But I have to show some emotion or she'll get hella worried about me. That's the last thing I want."

I squeeze her hand and nod. We both get out of her truck and begin walking to the front door. Inside, Chloe leads the way to Max's room. We see through the glass that Warren is by her bedside, holding her hand and talking to her. Chloe knocks on the door and Warren looks over at us, smiling. He waves for us to enter and so we do. "Hey guys!" Max cheers from her bed, still holding onto Warren's hand and waving with her free hand.

"Hey Maximus Prime! How's the healing?" Chloe walks over and plops down next to Warren, adjusting her beanie. I slowly sit next to her and scratch my head through my wig.

_Just when I was starting to look like myself again, I had to change. UGH I wish I could just be me, especially around Max and Warren..._

Max laughs and smiles at her. "I'm doing fine, Chloe. Did you two actually spend some time together or did you just sneak off and smoke all night."

"Hey! Give me some credit , Max. We hung out."

"Yeah," I add in, making sure to sound shy (which isn't hard when I'm already uncomfortable to begin with). "We hung out and drank some tea."

"Nice." Warren nods approvingly and I shoot them a small smile. "I got here a few hours ago and I've just been chatting it up. It's cool to see you two getting along."

"Yee" Chloe takes off her beanie and scratches her head, stretching in the chair and I can feel myself begin to boil inside.

_I never get to be that damn chill about what I'm doing. It's hella fucking annoying..._

I sigh and blink a few times, "So Max, what did the doctors tell you?"

"Well," She closes her eyes and begins to remember. "He told me that I broke a few ribs, pulled my hamstring and broke my leg (both on the left side."

"Ouch. When do you think you'll be getting out?"

"Oh, I think I'll be out in a day or two."

"That's great news! Hey, when you get out you should drop by and see me! We could have mom cook you a nice dinner and we could see how much your Mario Kart has improved." Chloe grins happily and looks over at Warren. "You could even bring along the nerd in shinning armor over here."

"That sounds like a great idea. Kate, you could come over too if you want." Max gives me a look that is similar to puppy dog eyes.

"I'll think about it. I still have a little bit of homework that I have to get through first. I'll try to finish that off though."

_I mean, I already did all of my School homework, but I do believe that I have to study Chloe for...science reasons. Chemical attraction counts._

I grin and shake my head. "Is it Mrs. Grant again?" Max asks.

"Y-yeah. I just don't get some of the chem homework."

"I could help you out." We look over to Chloe and she shrugs. "What? I got thrown out of school for skipping class and bad behavior. I was an A student for years!"

"She's right. I still remember her 6th grade report card. Damn straight A's" Max chuckles and closes her eyes, taking a deep breath. "It's great to see you guys. I've been wondering how you were doing."

"We're doing fine Max. You just heal up and then we can let our reign of terror begin!" Chloe throws her arms up in the air yelling "WOO!" and chucks her beanie up in the air, catching it on the way down.

\----------------------------

After about another hour, we've mostly exhausted the possible conversation topics and we're in a small silence. "Hey Max, It was great to see you. I got to get going but I'll see you when you get out of here, okay?" I stand up and give her a gently hug, which she returns.

"Sure thing, Kate." Max looks over at Chloe. "I assume you drove her?" Chloe nods and sighs.

"I'll be seeing you later, Mad Max. I gotta go show the world that chivalry isn't dead yet."

"See you guys." Warren waves as we go out the door. We both shout back a 'see ya' and get walking down the hallway. We walk out of the hospital and hop in Chloe's truck.

"So, where to Katie?" Chloe smiles over at me and I sigh in relief.

I pull out my duffel bag and take out a booklet of CD's. "Well, I was hoping that we could go spend some time out of time. Maybe we could go out to the hiking trails and go for a nice walk. No one is gonna be out there and it'd be nice to get away from things." Chloe nods and looks at my CD case. "Mind if I play some tunes."

"Sure." I pull out a CD and put it in the player and skip a few tracks as we drive off. "Just nothing too..." Chloe immediately stops speaking as she hears the deep breaths coming through the speakers. "No fucking way..." Her voice is full of joy and surprise before the lyrics begin to pour through the speakers.

**My guilt and my shame always sell me short, Always feel the same...**

I begin to yell along to the lyrics and Chloe grins so wide that it looks like it hurts. Soon we're barreling down the world and yelling along

**...Sometimes I feel, like breathing in sulfur...**

as the some comes to a finish, Chloe turns down the volume and sighs happily. "I hella love you, you know that?"

"The music the only reason?"

"No. But you know what they say, the way to a punk girl's heart is through her music." We pull over at the entrance of the trail and I click off the truck stereo.

I look over to see that we're along and then I unbuckle, sliding over on the bench. I hold her face and lean in close, speaking in a husky voice due to all the singing. "Well then, you're gonna love me..." Before I can say anything else, Chloe is pulling me into a brief, but passionate kiss. When she's done, she kisses my cheek and smiles. "I'm gonna change into something more comfortable." I slide back over and take out a pair of jeans from my duffel. I put them on under my dress and take the dress off, replacing it with a tee shirt and a plain hoodie. I take off my wig and throw it in the bag with my dress. "That's better. Now, time for a little nature."

\----------------

Chloe and I walk down the path, looking at the wild life and enjoying the peacefulness. "Hey Chloe?"

"Yeah?" she looks over at me with a smile.

"is it really surprising that I like metal music?"

She looks at me and chuckles. "Kind of, but only because I've known you as Max's Christian friend who runs the abstinence club, which I don't think you qualify for any more." She winks at me and I nod.

"Haven't been eligible since I turned 18."

"Really now?"

"Hey," I hold out my arms in an exaggerated shrug and give her a shit eating grin. "A woman has to have some secrets."

"True, true..." Chloe clears her throat and I decide to change the subject.

"I haven't told you why I my music have I?"

"No, I don't believe you have dear Katherine."

"First of all, no, second, no, and third, no."

"Okay, okay. But what's the deal, love?" Chloe finds a fallen tree and sits on it.

I sit next to her and take a deep breath. "Well my parents were, and still are, hella strict."

"Hella?! That's my thing!" Chloe shoves me playfully and pouts.

"Well I guess it's an 'us thing' now." Chloe smiles and nods at that. "Anyway, at one point I finally decided I was sick of it. So, I started surfing the good old interwebs in secret and I found metal. I was scared of it at first, but I knew someone who liked it and they turned me towards some ones that I liked and as time went on I found that I grew a taste for it. It went from me finding a way to be different from my family and it turned into a secret passion."

"That's pretty cool actually." Chloe sighs and looks at a bird nest in a nearby tree. "I got into it because I liked skateboarding. I started hanging out with some of the skater people and eventually we hung out all the time. I started going to rock concerts and I liked the heavy stuff. I worked my way into metal and the rest is history really."

I nod slowly and think about what to mention next. "While we're on the subject of changing ourselves, do you know why I like art so much?"

"I just figured that it was something you did as a kid."

"Nope. I hated arts and crafts. It started because of my hair."

"How so?"

"Well, first off I'm a natural blonde, but I didn't really like the color yellow. Back when I was a bit younger I decided to dye it. But, I knew my parents would kill me so I started wearing a wig. It worked out pretty well, I cut my hair down and I wore the wig and no one noticed. Well, I decided that I was going to dye it and I did. But, I didn't know that the dye would stain my hands. So, I had to think fast and I decided that I was going to use the charcoal set that my mother bought me for my birthday and I tried my hand and drawing. As it turns out, I fucking love it!"

"Huh." Chloe hugs me and whispers in my ear. "Guess why I love you."

"Because I put the punk in delinquent?"

She giggles quietly and nods. "That, but mostly because you're amazing."

"As are you."

"My my, kate. Flattery will get you everywhere."

"How about your house?"

"Why, sure thing. It's gonna be getting dark in a few hours anyways."

"Chloe it's one in the after noon"

"I never said how many hours."

\-----------------------------

Chloe and I pull into her driveway and she boosts me up to the roof. I help her up and we sneak in the window. We hop onto the floor gently and I look around the room. There is a flag covering one window and there are clothes spread across the floor. There is graffiti at different places and there are posters of different woman on the walls. She looks around and holds out her arms. "Behold! My grand lair."

I nod over to the bed and grin. "Is that cause you _lay_ around or just a saying?"

"Well, I do get a lot of use out of the bed." I raise my eyebrows at her and she starts giggling. "Not like that you perv."

"Hey, I'm just making sure I have a monopoly on your love." I wrap my arms around her waist. "You can't really blame me. Can you?"

She looks into my eyes and wraps her arms around my neck. "No, I guess I can't." She gives me a peck on the lips and I smile.

I push her back a little and take off my hoodie. "Mind if I get comfortable?"

Chloe takes off her shit and nods. "Why not." She walks over and closes the window and closes the curtain. The room in tinted partially red due to the flag covering one of the windows. Chloe puts her hands on my hips and lifts my shirt up. I let her and toss it to the side. I place one hand on her hip and the other on her abs. She leans in and kisses me and she puts her hands in my hair and holds onto it. She pulls it gently and I quietly stifle any noise before it can escape. I slowly push Chloe back until she is up against the bed. I pull myself closer to her by her waist and pull her deeper into the kiss by her hair. I can feel her nails in my back and I end the kiss, opting to bite her neck and begin to give her a hickie. When I bite her, her breath hitches and I can feel her nails go down my back.

Suddenly I hear a gasp and Chloe pushes me back a little. "Shit...Hey, Max. Can you come in and close the door?"

"Y-yeah, sure..." I can almost hear the blush in her voice. I can hear the sound of crutches and then the door closes. I throw Chloe her shirt and put on my own. Once Chloe has her shirt on, she moves her chair over a bit and helps Max sit down. "I'm sorry I interrupted you. I didn't even know you had...company."

"It's fine, Max. I should have heard you coming up the damn stairs in crutches."

I walk over and give Max a hug. I feel her go stiff and she pushes me away gently. I can see my own hurt look reflected in her eyes and I try my best to look neutral, holding my elbow  and backing up to sit behind Chloe. "Hey Max..."

"Wait...KATE?!" Max looks shocked and then she begins blushing wildly. "I...wha....you...."

I take a deep breath and look at the floor. "I should have told you but we haven't told anyone. Chloe and I are dating."

There is a small silence in the room and then I can hear Max laughing. I look up and she is doubled over laughing until she winces and straightens up blinking hard. "I'm sorry, but I really wasn't expecting this when I dropped by."

"I mean we're glad to see you and we want you to stay and visit but," Chloe shifts a little bit and goes from leaning against the bed to sitting next to me, putting her arm around me. "Weren't you gonna be in the hospital another day or two?"

"I was. But I got discharged early. I'm in good enough shape to be out of the hospital. Since Joyce is like a second mom I figured that we I could sleep over and you guys could look after me. I see that the bed will be full but I would be fine on the couch. Besides, I like late night TV."

"Sure thing. I'm sure that mom would be on board with that." Chloe chirps happily and as I lean into her and take a deep breath.

"So, Kate..."

"Yes?"

"How long have you two been a thing?! I think best friend privilege would have lead to you guys telling me at least. You're my two best friends!" Max doesn't sound upset, but I can see a faint trace of something in her eyes.

"Well," I sigh and look at the floor. "After the hospital yesterday, we went to my dorm and things just, clicked." I look up at Chloe and see her smiling proudly. "We make a nice team."

"I see that" Max chuckles quietly and cracks her knuckles. "Are you two staying in the closet or no?"

"We kind of have to. My parents would ship me off to some kind of gay camp if they found out I even thought of women, let alone Chloe."

"What do you mean, let alone me?" I look into Chloe's eyes and see a nervous irritation.

"We listen to the same kinds of music and I might even out punk you and **I** have to literally have to wear a wig, change what clothes I wear, and pretend to be someone that I'm not!" I see Chloe's look soften and she nods.

"Fair point."

"I prefer Comcast."

Max snorts and starts giggling while Chloe tries to figure it out. When she does she shoves my shoulder and shakes her head. "Hardy har har."

"So, what do you guys usually do when you hang out?"

"Well," Max begins. "Chloe isn't much of a tea toddler, so we usually end up playing Mario Kart or Rock Band."

"We should try some rock band." Chloe smiles.

"Dibs on vocals!" I call out.

"You sure about that, Kate? The songs Chloe usually picks are pretty brutal on the vocal chords."

"Max, these pipes can do more than sing 'amazing grace'."

"Yes they can." Chloe grins and winks.

"Gross, Chloe."

"You're right Max, it is gross. A grossly false statement. I wasn't the one who almost WOKE UP HALF THE DORM! I had to text Dana and tell her I was watching a horror movie you damn screamer!"

"KATE! I don't need to know this!" Max was half way covering her ears and Chloe was redder than a tomato.

"Sorry. Let's just move on shall we?" I get up and help Max stand while Chloe opens the door.

"We shall" Max says and gives me a glare as we walk down the stairs.

Max, Chloe, and I get into the living room and Chloe's mom is sitting on the couch. "Hey ma, can we use to TV for Rockband?"

"Sure thing. Just lemme go and get the noise cancelling headphones." She stands up and looks over at me. "Why hello young lady. I don't think we've met before."

I smile and sigh. "It's Kate, Kate Marsh."

"Oh, howdy Kate! You're dressed a little bit different than you usually are. And you're hair is a different too."

"My parents are really...particular about their family image. I'm not allowed to do almost anything at home and they don't even know I dyed my hair cause I wear a wig. Could we keep this our little secret...?"

"No problem, Kate. You're a grown woman and I have no intention or reason to interfere with your life." Joyce gives me a quick hug and smiles. "You staying overnight?"

"If that's okay?"

"Of course. Just whatever you do, keep it down past 9pm" She gives Chloe a pointed look.

"Yes mother..." Chloe blushes and clears her throat.

Joyce retreats to the upstairs and Chloe begins to set up the TV. "Max, do you want drums or guitar?"

"I think I'll take guitar. I'm better with it and your music uses the foot pedal too much. I'd probably break my good leg if I tried to keep up." They share a small chuckle and then we get to work setting everything up.

_Well, I didn't really intend on Max finding out this soon, especially not this way. But it all turned out good and I don't have to pretend that nothing is going on. Lets just hope they don't mind my singing voice..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A small question that I want to ask anyone who reads any of my works, do I go overboard with the innuendo and hinting? I never write anything rated X, or even anything too steamy, but I just don't want to put too much of it in there and possible take away from a story.
> 
> In other news, I'm now Posting every Monday. This will let me keep up with my various works and supply you with longer chapters than I normally put out.
> 
> Until Next Time, Read On.


	5. An Angel and a Demon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the song that Kate sings:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5abamRO41fE
> 
> Here is the singer who's vocals I imagine Kate having (Except in English):  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go5bd3kEYAs
> 
> Band - ETHS  
> Singer - Candice Clot

It only took about 10 minutes to get all the Rockband stuff together and get it plugged into the TV. "Well, Kate. Since you're gonna be singing, I think that you should choose our first song." I take a deep breath and pick up the controller.

_Well here goes nothing..._

I scroll through the listings and find what I'm looking for and hitting play. Chloe gives me a half concerned, half surprised look as the song begins. Max starts playing along and groans. "I should have guessed..."

"You sure about this, Kate?" Chloe plays along and I nod at her, waiting for my part, seeing it come. I close my eyes and reach deep inside.

"Oooooh YEAH!" I hear Max gasp and miss some notes.

_Please let that not be bad... Don't think about it, just keep going. You're on key..._

"I did my time, and I want out. So effusive fate It doesn't cut, The soul is not so vibrant. The reckoning, the sickening. Back at you, subversion Pseudo-sacred with psycho virgin. Go drill your deserts, Go dig your graves. Then fill your mouth With all the money you will save. Sinking in, getting smaller again. Undone, it has begun I'm not the only one!"

_And go high._

"And the rain will kill us all, Throw ourselves against the wall. But no one else can see, The preservation of the martyr in me"

_and back down._

"Psychosocial, psychosocial, psychosocial. Psychosocial, psychosocial, psychosocial. Oh, there are cracks, in the road we lay  
From where the devil fell The secrets have gone mad! This is nothing new, But would we kill it all? Fate was all we had. Who needs another mess? We could start over. Just look me in the eyes And say I'm wrong. Now there's only emptiness, But a message to bring. I think we're done. I'm not the only one!"

_and high again._

"And the rain will kill us all, Throw ourselves against the wall. But no one else can see, The preservation of the martyr in me"

_and low yet again._

"Psychosocial, psychosocial, psychosocial. Psychosocial, psychosocial, psychosocial. The limits of The dead, The limits of The dead, The limits of The dead, The limits of The dead, Fake and defenseless lie, I tried to tell you first, Your hurtful lies are given out, Can't stop the killing idea, If it's hunting season, Is this what you want?, I'm not the only one!"

_High for the last time._

"And the rain will kill us all, Throw ourselves against the wall. But no one else can see, The preservation of the martyr in me. And the rain will kill us all, Throw ourselves against the wall. But no one else can see, The preservation of the martyr in me."

_One last low voice..._

"The limits of The dead, The limits of the dead!"

I let the mic rest at my side as the song finishes and I take a deep breath. I hear shuffling and I turn around to say something but I am suddenly crushed between Chloe's arms and her body. "You son of a bitch..."

"Wh-what's wrong, Chloe...?" I can feel myself begin to shake a little and she pulls back looking at me with an intense, wide eyed stare.

"YOU FUCKING ROCKED!" She bounces up and down with excitement. "Fuck yes!" She pumps her fist up in the air and kisses me. "I have the best girlfriend ever and she's the best singer I know. I'm getting luckier as the days roll on..."

I smiles wide and hug her. "You're like a damn puppy! So much energy. I can see why you did so good on the drums."

"Oh I wasn't that good."

"Chloe," Max pipes up from the back, "You got 100%. That counts as good." She looks at me with a look of wonder. "By the way Kate, DAMN. The noises that were coming out of your mouth were like an angel and a devil having a yelling match! Have you always been able to sing like that?"

"Yeah, I didn't really get into the metal singing until I liked metal music, but I would always get comments from the people I sang to that I could sing nice and that I had a good range."

"Well you do." Chloe gives and a squeeze with one arm and sits down again at the drums. "Do you wanna do more? It would be a shame to get this all set up and only play one song."

"Oh of course." I smile and hand the remote to Max. "How bout we rotate who picks the song?"

"That sounds good to me. Let's do it Max." I take a deep breath and get ready to sing again. I clear my throat.

"Chloe, can you grab me a water?"

"Sure." she gets up and comes back with one. I kiss her cheek and take a sip of water. "Ready, Kate?" I nod "Ready, Max?" She nods and hits play.

\------------------------------

We end up playing: Cold as ice, The Beautiful People, I love rock and roll, Free Bird, Crazy Train, Du Hast, Before I forget, and Werewolves of London. After we finish with it, we decide to call it a night and we put things away so Max can watch TV. We head upstairs and Chloe picks me up out of nowhere. I laugh happily as she spins me around and we collapse onto her bed with a thud. "What was that for?"

"Can't a girl be affectionate to her amazing girlfriend?"

"You count picking me up and spinning me as affectionate?" I raise an eyebrow and grin.

"I was just having a little fun..." her voice shifts from her normal, confident self to small and vulnerable. I slowly place my hand on her cheek and she closes her eyes, nuzzling into it. I kiss her forehead and move close to her, holding her by her waist. She begins to nod off but I shake her a little.

"Babe, don't you think we she sleep under the covers and not on top of them?" I smile as Chloe nods sleepily and gets up, stripping down and getting in bed. I follow her lead and hold onto her from behind. She relaxes into me and before I know it she's fast asleep. Before I fall asleep myself, my mind begins to wander.

_How am I going to balance Chloe and school. If I spend all of my free time with Chloe like I want to, I'm gonna have some explaining to do. But, if I spend time away from her it's going to suck for both of us and I don't want to go too far in the other direction and put distance between us anyways..._

As I try to reason out what actions I can take, my mind begins to slow and I eventually just stop thinking, slipping into sleep.

\----------------------------

When I squeeze my arms and I don't feel anything there, I sit up faster than I ever have before and I scan the room frantically. My eyes settle on Chloe, sitting in her desk chair, turning a pack of cigarettes around in her hands. When she hears me gasp for breath, she looks at me, getting up and walking over. I hold her close for a moment and kiss her cheek. "What are you doing up?"

"Sorry. I went outside to grab your bag so you could get changed before we go to Blackwell." She sits next to me on top of the covers and kisses my forehead.

"Thank you." My breathing is under control and I sigh. "I was going to ask you to grab that..."

"You don't wanna go back, do you?"

"Hell no!" I look into her eyes and hold her cheeks. "I'm gonna miss this..." I kiss her until my lungs burn.

She looks at me and smiles. "I'll miss that too. But, you have to go get your education!"

"What are you going to be doing today?" I get out of bed and grab my bag, taking out my clothes and back-up wig, getting dressed and making sure I look like the stereotypical shy church girl.

"That, my dear Katie, is a surprise." She hugs me from behind and kisses my shoulder. "You look fine."

"Thanks." I look at her in the mirror, sighing. "I want to spend time with you as much as I can. But I also have work to do. I think that during the week we'll just have to text each other and maybe do some phone calls if you'd be okay with that."

"I get it. Just make sure that you take care of yourself while you are at school. I wouldn't want to have to break into the dorms to make sure that you're taking care of yourself..." I chuckle and she squeezes me. "I'm not joking, Kate. If you don't take care of yourself so help me you'll come back to your dorm from classes one day and I'll burst out of the closet."

I laugh more and smile wide, leaning back into her. "Will you have a rainbow cape or something?"

"Why would I?"

"Cause, if you're gonna try and be my hero that's a pretty gay job."

"You know me, I eat, sleep, and breath the gay."

"Yes you do." I turn around in her arms and kiss her cheek.

"You didn't sleep well last night?" It's more of a question than anything, but her voice is full of concern.

"Not really. I was trying to think of how to balance us with school. I finally got it and just kinda passed out."

"If you were worried, you could have woken me. If you ever need help, don't worry about being a bother. I'll help you any time you want or need it. Okay?"

"Okay." I grab my bag and kiss her cheek. "Thank you, Chloe." She nods and we walk out to her truck. We hop in and I put my bag down, quickly grabbing Chloe's arm and stopping her from turning the key. "What about Max?"

"Shit. Okay, let's go wake the little hipster." Chloe takes the key out of the ignition and we go inside. I hold up one finger and Chloe looks at me and I flash her a mischievous grin. I crouch down next to Max and take a deep breath, doing a metal scream. Max jumps up and halfway falls off the couch. She flails around and her eyes fix on me giving her a shit eating grin.

Max smacks my shoulders and wipes the sweat off of her brow. "NOT FUNNY!" I fall over laughing and try to compose myself as I stand up. I take a deep breath and lean in, helping her up.

"Yes it was." I hear that my voice is quite raspy and Max's cheeks blush red. She mutters something and I shoot her as look as I had her the crutches. Max grabs her bag and we get out to the truck again, Chloe driving, Max on next to the passenger door, and me in between the two of them. We drive to Blackwell listening to some classical music. "Why didn't you tell me my voice was so raspy?" I look over at Chloe and raise an eyebrow as she glances at me for a split second.

"Well, it's quite attractive so I was just enjoying it..." I chuckle and shake my head.

"Maaax?" I say in a low voice, looking over at her with a wicked grin. "Do you think my voice is...attractive?"

"Umm...w-well, I..I-I uhh..." Max stutters as her face turns redder. I can hear Chloe clear her throat and Max covers her face with her hands. "I plead the fifth...."

"I don't see how saying yes would be self incriminating." I shoot a glare over at Chloe, but she misses it due to watching the road. Max mumbles something and I look over at her. "What now?" She mumbles again and I cross my arms. "You have to speak louder Max, I can't hear you.

"It's because I'm bi..." Max finally spits out. My grin fades away and I give her a hug.

"Sorry, I was just joking around Max. I thought you were totally straight. My bad..." I can feel Max stiffen up and I can hear her heart pounding.

"K-kate, do me a favor and don't talk to me until you've had a drink of water or something. You're my best friend's girlfriend and this is getting awkward..."

I go to speak again, but instead just nod. I look at the road and sigh. I pull out my phone and pull up Max's number.

_Me: Again, I'm sorry. I didn't know you went both ways._

_Max: Yeah, I try to keep it secret. Chloe knows because she was the first person I ever told. You're the second..._

_Me: Okay. Sorry for assuming stuff. I out of all people should know better :(_

_Max: It's okay Kate. I've never shown any interest in woman even when we were hanging out alone and I'm in a loving relationship with a guy at the moment. You assuming means I've done a good job of covering my tracks._

_Me: Yeah._

I look up and I can see Blackwell in the distance, slowly growing closer and closer.

_Me: Hey, do you want to come over and grab some tea later?_

_Max: If Chloe doesn't cut my head off for turning into a stuttering human tomato over your voice, then yes, very much so._

_Max: Just do me a favor and make sure Chloe isn't mad at me first..._

_Me: Of course._

Slowly, Chloe pulls into a parking space and I open up a new contact and type 'Lover' into the name category. I hand it over to Chloe and she looks at it, chuckling and putting in her phone number and hitting save. She pulls out her phone and texts me.

_Lover: 'Lover', really?_

_Me: Yeah, I wanted to be vague incase someone gets into my phone._

_Lover: Oh, ok. Well, thanks for the number, I'll make sure to annoy the shit out of you with affectionate and caring text message._

_Me: Just as long as I'm not in class. First class is at 8:30 and last one ends at 4_

_Lover: I used to go here, but thanks for confirming that._

_Me: Are you mad at Max?_

Chloe sighs and looks across from me at the girl sitting uncomfortably next to the door. She gets out and slams the door, walking around the front and Max gulps as she opens the passenger door. "Chloe, I..." Max is interrupted by a tight hug from Chloe.

"I'm not mad at you, Max. I never was." Max smiles and she rubs Chloe's back. I slid out of the truck and close the drivers door, looking through the window to see Chloe say something to Max. Max nods and pats her shoulder. I walk over and help Chloe make sure that Max is steady. Max begins begins to walk to the school and I go over to Chloe.

I whisper to her as I hug her tight. "I love you."

"I love you too, Kate." She pulls back and gives me a fist bump. "I'll see you Friday, okay?"

"I'll be counting the hours..." I smile at her and stick out my tongue, winking. She blushes a little and waves, getting back in the truck and driving off as I run to catch up to Max, which is quite easy. I pull out my phone and tap away.

Me: You gonna want any help today getting from class to class?

Max pulls out her phone and smiles. "How considerate."

"Of course, Max." I whisper in her ear and she squeaks and turns around, almost falling over. I catch her and help her steady herself.

"A little less considerate...Thanks though." She shakes her head but is still smiling. "I'll need some help getting to my classes but first I need to go to my room and you will have to go back somewhere and get something for that throat. Otherwise if you get called on in class you'll raise a little suspicion."

"Sorry Max, but this is how I get after a lot of singing. Well, I haven't sung in forever so my voice isn't used to it. Usually I can sing a lot more and it doesn't affect me as much."

"Well it sure is affecting everyone around you. Take a cough drop or something."

"Don't have any."

"I'll give you some. Now follow me and get the door. SILENTLY!" Max gives me a glare and I chuckle nodding and following her. We walk across the campus to the dorms and I hold the door open. Max makes her way inside and sighs. I look over and see Victoria walking down the hall. Max begins walking to her room and I follow.

"Well, I see that the hipster is back."

"Very observant of you Victoria. What will you ever see next."

"Max..." Victoria sighs and looks around, then at the floor. "I'm sorry." Max looks back at her and raises an eyebrow. "I'm sorry for being mean and being petty."

"Thank you, Victoria. It's a step in the right direction." Max begins walking again and Victoria looks at me.

"Kate?" Victoria's voice has a sense of desperation in it. I look at Victoria and then back at Max.

"Hear her out, Kate. I can get it from here." I nod and look back at Victoria, waiting for her to speak.

"I know that this probably means nothing to you at this point, but I'm sorry. I could apologize for the rest of the time we're in Blackwell and it wouldn't tell you how sorry I really am and it wouldn't mean anything either." She sighs and looks at me. I can tell that her eyes are a bit red and puffy. "I'm not asking you to like me or forgive me, but I want you to know that I figured out that I'm a horrible person and that I'm going to try and be a better person. You don't have to worry about me or my friends giving you any shit."

I take a deep breath and sigh heavily. I give Victoria a hug and then pull back. "I forgive you."

"Kate. You don't have to..."

"Shut it." She looks at me and I can see the fury in my eyes reflected in hers. "I forgive you. We can start with a clean slate. If you're genuine we can even be friends. But if you fuck with me, you better hope that you can sleep with one eye open till day you die."

"Kate...?" I can see the fear in Victoria's eyes.

"You drove me to thinking some pretty dark shit, Victoria. I had a fucking noose in my closet incase I felt like it was too much. I know that you're trying to be a better person and that you're trying to apologize. I accept your apology and I'm okay with it, but I need a day, maybe even two days to let myself burry the hatchet." I sigh and shake my head. I put my hand on her shoulder and she twitches a little. "If you're serious about being sorry, stop by my room tomorrow after classes are over and we can talk again. I want to get along with you and put this behind us, but it's a process. It'll take a little time." I give her an apologetic smile.

"Okay Kate. I'll stop by tomorrow afternoon. If you need anything before then, you know where to find me." I nod and she goes to walk away, looking at me for a moment. "Are you okay? You're voice is, uhh...different." I can see a little color coming to her cheeks and I nod.

_Oh great, even she is getting affected..._

"It's fine. I just did a lot of yelling yesterday." Victoria still looks a bit concerned, but she doesn't dig anymore. "See you around...friend." Victoria smiles and turns around, walking out of the dorms. I go to catch up with Max as she comes out of her room. She glares at me and I stop dead.

_Oh shit, please tell me she didn't hear that..._

"You had a fucking noose in your closet?!" Max keeps her voice hushed and she speaks through her teeth. I walk over to Max and I hold up my hands. She slaps me in the face and pulls me into a death grip of a hug. "Why didn't you talk to me...? I'm your friend Kate. I would do anything to help you..."

_Oh Max, if only it were that simple..._

"Sometimes, you don't think about that kind of thing. I felt hopeless. I've always come to you. And I did come to you, when I was hurting. I just wanted some sense of control. Having that option gave me control. I knew that I'd never go through with it, but it made me feel like I wasn't just trapped..."

"Please get rid of it."

"Chloe already did..." Max pulls away and sniffles, wiping some tears away.

"I knew I was friends with that girl for a reason..." We both smile and I pat her shoulder.

"How about we get off to class? We're the only one's who aren't already there." I look around to check my statement and nod after I see that it's true.

"Sure thing Kate. What a way to start the week back..." We begin walking to the door to the courtyard outside.

"Tell me about it. It's gonna be a long one." I take the bag of cough drops from Max's hands and take a few.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had the idea for the whole singing thing for a while and I listened to some different female metal singers to see which one matched what I had in my head.
> 
> I am on a weird schedule right now and so I'm just gonna upload what I can, when I can. Sorry for this randomness but life happens and I'm doing things the best I can.
> 
> Until Next Time, Read On.


	6. Schoolyard Scandal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know what, Jefferson is a good guy here. Just to make things simple.
> 
> Going with a theme that I have seen with some other fics that I find to be awesome, here are some songs that go with this fic. (Also, I personally love all three of these songs). Enjoy:
> 
> "The Other Side of Paradise" by Glass Animals  
> "Number" By Daughter  
> "Smother" by Daughter (bonus)
> 
> PS: I noticed after I hit post that this fic is about 7,000 words, and before posting it the entire story was only about 14,000 words. This chapter is the biggest I've every posted for any story and makes up about a third of "Hot as fire - Calm as water".

Class is the same repetitive crap that it always has been. No matter how much I want to pay attention, I find it hard too. I spend so much time thinking of the fun that I've had with my friends and worrying about what will happen when Victoria visits, that I just kind of go through the day like a zombie. At the end of my final class, I find myself being roused from my state by the dismissal bell. I blink a few times and gather my things. I bring them to my locker and lock it up. As I walk through the hallway, I notice eyes on me. I sigh and shake my head.

I make my way out the front entrance and begin moving towards the dorms. Once outside, the feeling of eyes on my increases. I keep walking and keep my head low,  trying my best to not think about it. As I approach the dorms, I feel a hand on my shoulder and I stop, turning to see who it is. Taylor looks back at me with a predatory grin. "Well well, isn't it pie girl. You have any desert, _thrown_ your way lately?" She begins to laugh and I laugh bitterly in her face.

"No Taylor, I don't believe I've been graced with thrown deserts in a while." I shake my head and she smirks.

"Then it's overdue I guess..." She nods to her friend beside her and I sigh.

_I thought Victoria said her friends would be backing off..._

I watch as Courtney approaches with a pie and a shit eating grin. I close my eyes and stand up straight, waiting for the pie to hit me. I take a deep breath and prepare for...

**_Squish!_ **

"WHAT THE FUCK, VICTORIA?!" I open my eyes to see Victoria standing there with a frown on her face, right next to Courtney who's face is covered in pie. I begin to laugh and I double over in a fit of giggles.

"I told you guys to back off of Kate."

"We don't care if you've decided to stick up for miss abstinence here, we still have beef." Taylor pipes up, getting in Victoria's face. I am about to get up in Taylor's face when I hear footsteps behind me and I turn around to see Max and Chloe looking over the situation.

Max sighs and looks me in the eye. "What's going on here Kate?"

"Well," I look back at Courtney and then Taylor. "We were having a disagreement. Victoria came over to make sure things were okay and as it turns out her friends are assholes." I smile at them and they look on surprised.

"Looky here, miss abstinence knows a word that isn't in the bible. Who'd have known." Courtney moves towards me and shoves me. I smile and sigh.

"Anyone who isn't a shallow bitch, that's who." I turn around and begin to walk away. I am followed by Max, Chloe, and Victoria.

"You two okay?" Max asks as we approach the dorm doors.

"I'm fine, Max. Thanks for the help Victoria. I don't like having to shower every time those two come after me with a damn pie."

"No problem, Kate. I talked with those guys but apparently they decided to stop listening to me."

"You know they're independent human beings right? People tend to do such things."

"I know, but I talked to them as a friend and they know that I at least used to have a little power around here and they'd usually go along with my requests."

I turn and look to her when we reach my door. "Well maybe you should get some new friends, Victoria. You seem to be in the wrong crowd at the moment."

"I'm trying." Victoria looks down and sighs, waving at us and going into her room.

"You know," Chloe says as we enter my room. "She's always been an ass, but I think that she might actually be trying to change. You gonna give her a chance?"

"I am, she's stopping by tomorrow and we're going to talk about things. I ripped into her earlier though, so I think she gets that this is serious."

"Yeah I heard..." Chloe frowns and then hugs me tight. "Are you okay, love?"

"Yes Chloe, I'm fine." I give an annoyed sigh and kiss her cheek. "Can you do me a favor though?"

"Sure, what is it?" Chloe looks at me with a determined, hopeful look.

"Max," The girl looks at me and nods. "Can Chloe wait in your room until we're done here? It will be a few hours."

"Umm, sure thing. Chloe, you can use my computer and watch Netflix or YouTube or something. The login information in on a sheet of paper in my sock drawer."

"Okay."

"Chloe, I want you to go over to Max's room and wait for her to come back. Then I want you to come in and spend the night. We'll talk more about it when you're over here, okay?"

"Okay." Chloe smiles and squeezes my hand. "If you need anything just come get me, okay?"

"Of course baby. I love you."

"Love you too, Katie." Chloe gives me a kiss and smiles as she heads over to Max's dorm room.

Now alone with Max, I go over and turn on the kettle, taking out the cups and the tea bags. I take a deep breath and look at Max, who has take a seat on the couch. I sit next to her and give her a one armed hug. "Thanks for coming over. I have something that I want to talk to you about." She nods and waits for me to speak. "I don't want my parents to know about me and Chloe, it would be a nightmare and a half if they even knew that I wasn't part of the abstinence club, but I'm just sick of taking people's shit. So, I had a plan..."

"What kind of a plan Kate?" Max looks at me with part concern, and part curiosity.

"It's simple. I just act like me. I wear what I normally wear, I drop the act and I just go along with how things are when it's just You, Chloe, and I. I was also thinking that Chloe could sleep over and I could be seen with her, maybe give her a kiss and flip a few birds. That kinda plan."

"Kate, are you sure you want to do that? I mean I'm totally for you expressing yourself, but I think that if you do something like that, it will reach your parents."

"Max, I'm in college. AND I'm here on scholarship. the only thing that I can't do myself is pay for dorms. So I could just couch surf and maybe ask Chloe for a tent for my birthday. I could pitch it around the bay and try to get a few hours of sleep."

"Kate, you could always stay over at my room and if I know my childhood best friend at all, Chloe would insist that you consider her place a second home."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." I get up and pour the water into the cups. "I suppose that thing will get rough for me. I don't want you to get dragged into it Max, but I think that it's inevitable. You're gonna do something like stand up for me or you'll be known as my friend and you'll be a target for someone. I'll try my best to keep you out of it if you want, but there isn't much that I can do."

"Kate," Max take the cup of tea that I hand her and I sit beside her. "I will stand by your side and Chloe will too. I think that Victoria has a ways to go before I trust her, but she might even be on our side as well. At least if her earlier display had any bit of sincerity to it..."

I begin to laugh and nod. "Yeah, I am giving her a chance. I figured that I'd be madder than I am, but I guess I really am fitting the role of Christian. I don't exactly love my enemies, but I can forgive. Even if it's someone I'd like to see get a little karma, I think that her own mind is going to give her that."

"Yeah. So, Kate, How was class today? You seemed a little..."

"Out of it? Yeah, I was just a freaking zombie all day. I was remembering the other day and worrying about Victoria's visit."

"Ahh, I see." Max takes a sip and smiles. "My favorite flavor. I love this stuff."

I nod and chuckle. "A woman with taste, I like it." Max look up at me and blushes a little, nodding and taking another sip. "So, how's your little photography project going?" Max perks up and begin talking about what she is doing around Arcadia Bay with her camera.

\---------------

After about 3 and a half hours, Max and I run out of things to talk about so we just part ways. I give her a hug and she goes back to her room. After the door closes, I quickly change into a tee shirt and jeans, taking off my wig and throwing it into my closet. I take out a small case with various piercings inside and I throw them on my desk. I hear a knock on the door and I look through the peep hole to see Chloe standing there. I open the door and hide behind it. "Come in quickly."

Chloe comes in and I close the door, locking it and sighing heavily. "Well, I see you've slipped into something more you."

"We need to talk."

"W-what's wrong Kate? Did I do something...?"

"No Chloe, you've done nothing but be amazing." I pull her into a tight hug and kiss her cheek happily. I nuzzle her shoulder and take a shuddering breath. "I want to go public..."

"Okay." Chloe just pulls me closer and rubs my back. "If coming out publically is what you want, then I will support you 100%. I assume you've thought through what could happen between you and your family?"

"I have, and I don't give a damn."

"That's my girl..." Chloe kisses my forehead and smirks at me. "So, how are we doing this...?"

"Okay, so. Let's lay down and I'll let you in on it."

"Deal." She smiles and we lay on the top of the sheets and cuddle. "Let's start from the beginning here..."

\------------------------------

I take a deep breath and Chloe squeezes my hand. I smile up at her and give her a quick kiss. "You ready, babe?" I look in the mirror. I am wearing a plain black tee shirt, some black jeans, and I've decided to put on a basic watch. I have my wig off and I quickly look up at my short black hair.

_I wonder if anyone besides Max will recognize me._

"Whenever you are, Katie." I nod and we walk out the door. I walk a head of her and I catch a few people looking at me out of their dorms and them doing a double take. I eventually walk out into the courtyard and look around. It's quite empty except for Samuel working on some of the sprinklers and Max, who gives us a nod and begins walking to the front of the school. Chloe and I do the same, rounding the building to find many students out front before school starts. dozens of pairs of eyes are trained on me and I can feel a pressure growing in my gut. As we approach the front door, I can feel Chloe's hand take mine and our fingers intertwine. I can see Max, standing by the door talking with Warren. She smiles small and says something to Warren, nodding her head in our direction. He turns to look at us and I can see his eyes go wide even from how far away we are. He turns back to Max and she smiles wider, nodding. Her face gets serious as we approach the fountain and I know that she's telling Warren something along the lines of 'stay sharp, this might get ugly'.

_Well, here goes nothing..._

When we reach the fountain I turn around and face Chloe. She places her hands on my cheeks and I place my hands on her waist. We move in and we kiss each other passionately. It is brief, but I feel all the pressure leave my gut and I feel butterflies and warmth replace it. We pull back and smile at each other. Chloe begins walking to her truck in the parking lot and I begin heading inside. As we part ways, we can hear whistling from the skater guys and a few hushed mumbles from the present Vortex Club members. I smile to myself and keep walking.

Max and Warren catch up to me and I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn to see Max smiling at me and I return the smile. We begin walking down the hall and go to our lockers, and then our respective classes. I sit down in my usual spot and I can feel eyes looking at me again. I begin to feel self conscious, but then I remember what Chloe told me last night...

_"I don't know if I can hold it together Chloe..."_

_"You will be able to Kate. You're strong. You have talent and you're an amazing person. What you look like and your preferences shouldn't matter to people and if they do then they're not the people that you're gonna want to hang out with. Okay?"_

_"Yeah, I guess so."_

_Chloe takes my hand and I smile as she places it over her heart. I close my eyes and listen to the beat. "Think of this tomorrow, when things get rough. Remember the feeling and the sound of my heart, beating for you..."_

"Kate Marsh?" Miss Grant calls again. I look up and she is glancing around the classroom, holding a clipboard.

"Here." I speak up. The entire class looks at me and Miss Grant's eyes grow ever so wider as she nods her head and makes a notation on the attendance sheet.

"Okay class, let's pull out our textbooks and turn to chapter 4..." Miss Grant begins her lesson and everyone slowly being to pay attention to her. Everyone except for Victoria, Taylor, and Courtney. Victoria flashes me a brief smile and a nod, turning to look at her work. Taylor and Courtney just stare at me and look like they want to tear me into tiny little pieces.

_I know that they saw me with Chloe and they'll know that, if they have any common sense, they shouldn't mess with me lest they face Chloe's wrath..._

I just smirk at them and raise an eyebrow, looking between them and then shaking my head, looking down at my work and following along with the lesson. When class is over, I quickly grab my things and move out the entrance on my side of the classroom and hurry off to my locker, grabbing my things and heading off to my next class before people can realize where I've gone.

\--------------

Throughout the day, I go to my classes and I am stared and gawked at. Whenever I announce that I am present, I get a surprised look from the teacher and my peers who haven't been in a class with me before today. Finally, I head off to photography and I sigh as I walk in the door. Instead of my normal seat, I go and sit at Max's table. As I approach, she looks up at me and smiles. "Mind if I sit with you?"

"Not at all. How's the day been going?" Max moves her things to her side of the table and I pull up a chair.

"Well, everyone is quite surprised with my quote-unquote 'new' look, but I'm doing fine. Just another day in the life of...Kate." I stare at Victoria as she spots me sitting next to Max and takes my old seat. She is keeping her head down and she is moving slow and lifelessly.

_Kind of like me when I was pretending to be someone I wasn't..._

I look over at Max and nod at Victoria. Max looks over and I can see her smile fad and it is replaced with a look of concern. We look at each other and I sigh, looking over at Victoria again, thinking about what I can do.

_I know that she's going to be stopping by my room in an hour or so, but it kind of looks like she could use someone at the moment..._

I hear the chair next to me scrape on the floor and before I know it Max is standing next to Victoria. They talk in a whisper and I can't hear anything that they are saying. After a few moments, Max returns and she has a sad look on her face. "She's pretty down..."

"Do you think she's still gonna stop by after classes?"

"Oh yeah, she told me to let you know she'll be in the dorms right after class, so you can just bang on the wall when you wanna talk."

I nod and take out my notebook. I look up to see Taylor and Courtney snickering and looking at Victoria. Taylor turns to her desk and after a moment, a crumpled ball of paper sails across the room and into Victoria's head. She reaches down and uncrumples it. She sighs and puts it under her notebook. I look back to see Taylor smiling at me. I narrow my eyes at her and she turns around, laughing. I shake my head and look down at my notes, thinking of my time with Chloe and I smile to myself. After a few moments, Mr. Jefferson walking into the classroom and shuts the door. He walks around the room and then he comes to the table in the back. "Good afternoon Kate."

"Good afternoon Mr. Jefferson. You're the first teacher to recognize me..."

"Well, I noticed that you had that Kate Marsh glow about you. It's hard to miss." He chuckles and looks around the room. "I've heard about the change in your style. I wanted to see how you were doing."

"Oh?" I raise an eyebrow and he sighs.

"Yeah. Young adults can be assholes and young adults with money are much worse. I just wanted to see if anyone was giving you trouble." He gives me a sad smile and I nod.

"People are treating me pretty well. Thanks for your concern."

"No problem, Kate. I care about all of my students. I'm here if you need someone to talk to." He nods at me and I nod back. He moves back and claps his hands, this time addressing the whole class. "Alright students, lets get started. We have some different things to cover today that some of you will find interesting," He looks at Max pointedly and then he looks over at Taylor and Courtney."...and then some of you will try to find any excuse to use your phones for the period instead of peak attention. Don't make me take your phone away again ladies, it's starting to get old." There are a few chuckles around the class and then Mr. Jefferson picks up a whiteboard marker. "Today, we'll be looking at instant photography! I have some polaroid's for almost all of you, I assume miss Caulfield brought her own, and we are going to have a project that will require you to use these cameras to capture some great photography." I look over at Max and she is grinning from ear to ear.

_Figures that this would be a topic that she'd enjoy._

I sit back and watch as Mr. Jefferson begins his lecture and as Max becomes enthralled with his lecture. I listen as best I can, but I keep finding myself glancing over at Victoria.

_I hope she's okay..._

\---------------------------

I gather my things and before I can even stand up, Victoria is running out the door. I look over at Max and she grimaces. We both walk out the door and put our things in our lockers, meeting up with Warren and walking to the dorms. I look around and find that just as many people are looking at me as this morning, but I don't feel any pressure in my gut and I am only concerned with getting back to my room so I can try and talk to Victoria. As we enter the dorms, Warren goes off to his dorm and Max goes to hers. I open the door to my dorm and I close it behind me. I walk over to the wall between my room and Victoria's and bang on it several times. After a moment, I hear a door open and close. Moments later there is a knock on my door and I answer it quickly, opening the door to revel Victoria, looking at the ground and hugging herself. I put my hand on her shoulder and help her into my room. I close the door and lock it, guiding Victoria over to the couch and helping her sit down. I sit beside her and squeeze her shoulder. "Victoria," I whisper to her. "Look at me..."

She takes a shuddering breath and looks up at me. Her eyes are bloodshot and puffy. Her make up is smeared and her hair is all over the place. She looks like nothing more than a husk of her former self.

_It would seem that she really is getting Karma..._

"Kate..." I can see that she is beginning so shake and her knuckles are losing their color as they grip her shoulders. "This is what I deserve..." Her voice is dead and scratchy. As I hear it my heart breaks and I can see someone who is broken.

"What do you think you deserve, Victoria?"

She shakes violently and her voice trembles greatly. "All the people I used to think were my friends hate me, everyone who used to treat me like I was a great person treats me like I'm the antichrist, and anyone who hasn't cast me out is someone who already hated me before." She takes a deep, gasping breath that sounds almost like a sob. "Did I ever tell you why I joined the Vortex Club?"

"Why?" I make my voice as neutral as possible as I rub her shoulder and she shakes even harder.

"I'm afraid of being alone. I fear the idea of not having someone around who cares. I had money and my parents had sway. I was able to wiggle into the popular crowd and even if I wasn't able to make any true friends, I was able to keep people around me. I didn't have to sit alone and think about things. I didn't have to accept how meaningless my life is and I could pretend that everything was okay, even if it was at the expense of others." She takes another gasping, sob like breath. "My carelessness about my actions lead to me causing others pain in the name of being popular. Now no one wants to have anything to do with me except to treat me like how I've treated countless others...this is o-only f-fair. J-j-justice in it's truest f-form..." Her teeth begin chattering and she is shaking so violently I'm afraid that she might fall over and hit her head on something. I pull her into an embrace and she wraps her arms around me, sobbing into my shoulder and shaking just as violently.

After about 10 minutes, her sobs (as well as her shaking) are gone and she only whimpers. "Victoria." She sniffles and pulls back, looking at me. I wipe a few tears away and I pat her shoulder. "I've forgiven you. You did some bad things and this is Karma, but I don't want you to be alone through this. I had people there for me. and I've had someone make me realize that I should just say fuck it and live my life as best I can and the way I want." I sigh and give Victoria another quick hug. "I want to be your friend. I want to be there and help you..."

"I don't deserve it Kate..."

"And I didn't deserve Max and Warren and Chloe to be there for me. But they were. You're not the same person that hurt me, Victoria. Are we even? No, not at all. But I don't want you to be even with me, I want you to be the better person you're striving to be. And I would be honored if you allowed me to help you along the way..."

"Do you really mean that?" Victoria's voice is soft and rough. She looks like she herself is absolutely breakable and at my mercy.

"I mean it with deep sincerity." I pat her shoulder and she sobs, smiling and nodding vigorously.

"Thank you..."

"I have a few ground rules though."

"O-okay..." Her face turns fearful and I want to hug her again but I don't.

"If you want me to help you, then you can't be mean and bitter to people. If one of the people who's harassing you tries to egg you on, you have to just let it go. And finally, if you hang out with Max and I or any of our friends, you have to be patient. I'm taking a great gamble and my friends are questioning it. Especially Max..." Victoria has looked down at her lap and at the mention of Max's name, she flinches and he face is full of pain for a few moments before she puts on a neutral mask. She nods a few times and sighs. "Get up." Victoria stands and I hold her hand. "Don't ask any questions and don't speak unless spoken to, am I clear?"

"Yes." Victoria nods and looks at her feet. I bring her out of my room and close the door behind me, locking it and walking over to Max's room, giving the door three swift knocks.

"Hold on a second." I hear Max move around a little and a few drawers move. A moment later Max unlocks the door and opens it, rubbing her hands together and smelling of hand sanitizer. "Kate, what's...up" She looks over at Victoria and I drag her inside, closing the door behind me. I drag Victoria over to the couch and sigh.

"Sit." Victoria immediately sits down and I let go of her hand. She folds them in her lap and stares down at her feet, beginning to shake again, gently. Max looks at me with a raised eyebrow and a tilted head. I go over and whisper in her ear a quietly as I can. "She's a social outcast and she's an absolute wreck. I'm worried about her, Max. She's in the same place as I was and her biggest fear is being alone. She doesn't have anyone. I had you and Warren and eventually Chloe. I want us to help her, Max..." Max glares at me and her eyes are narrowed. I can see her seething with rage and she swallows, taking a deep breath. She walks over and stands in front of Victoria.

"Victoria." Max's voice drips with anger and Victoria slowly looks up to meet her gaze. Victoria's shaking picks up and she begins to breath through her nose heavily. Max raises her hand and smacks Victoria so hard that she slips off the couch and onto the floor. She hits her head on the coffee table and she only lays there, closing her eyes and shaking. Max kneels down next to her and speaks through her teeth. "If you _ever_ harm me or my friends again, you'll wish you never came to Blackwell..." Max goes and sits in her desk chair, glaring over at me and then at Victoria.

"I already do..." Victoria says, her voice filled with pain and fear, shaking like her body.

"You already what." Max speaks almost indifferently, trying to cover anger.

"Regret coming to Blackwell. I also regret my birth, my existence, and my failure to gather the strength to end it..." Victoria's voice is no longer shaking, merely empty.

Max's face slowly changes from hatred to sympathy. She stands up and slowly walks over, kneeling next to Victoria and helping her up off the floor. She gets her up onto the couch and pulls a throw blanket over her. She pats Victoria's shoulder and sighs, sitting on the edge of the coffee table. "I hate you, Victoria. I really do..." Victoria's keeps her eyes closed and closes them especially tight when Max says that. "But maybe, just maybe...it might be worth it to reconsider my feelings where you're concerned..." Max sighs and squeezes Victoria's shoulder.

"Victoria." I sit next to Max and speak calmly. "Would you explain to Max and I why you seem to get a little bit more upset than normal when her anger towards you is brought up?" Max looks at me questioningly, but I hold up my hand and look back at Victoria.

"Because I've always admired her..." Victoria's voice is dead again. She is so still that the only sign of life is a few tears flowing down her face. Max's eyes soften and she begins to fidget with her hands. "Everything she does oozes talent. She's amazing, both as a person and a photographer. I've always been jealous of her. I've always wished I could be like her. But I was just me. Useless, waste of space, nothing but a burden me..." Victoria's voice fades into nothing and there is a silence. Max's eyes widen and she leans in, checking Victoria's pulse. "I'm here. I don't want to be, but I'm alive. That'll change though, don't worry..." Victoria pulls a small, red, plastic container from her back pocket. "I'll let you all live without me bothering you, soon enough..." Max takes the container and opens it, seeing several razor blades that are stained red. She puts the container down and lifts the blanket, pulling Victoria's wrists towards her. She see's several old, harsh scars where her bracelets usually would be. Max places her hand on Victoria's thigh and presses down, seeing the look of discomfort on Victoria's face.

"When...?" Max's voice is soft and caring.

"About half an hour ago."

_So that's why she left class so quickly..._

Max takes the case and drops it on her desk, picking up her phone and shooting off a few text messages. Afterwards, she comes back and sits down on the couch next to Victoria. Max's phone begins to ring but she ignores it. Instead, Max takes her hand and holds Victoria's. "Don't go..." Max's voice sounds broken and sad. "Don't end things, not this soon..." Victoria opens her eyes and they're almost foggy.

"Why? I only hurt people. Even if I don't hurt them at any given moment I'll hurt them eventually. The world is better off without me..." Victoria stares off into space and Max's phone begin to ring again. Max pull Victoria's feet off of the couch and pulls her into a sitting position. Max hugs her close and buries her face in Victoria's neck. The fog in Victoria's eyes slowly fades and she breathes deeply a few times, eventually leaning her forehead into Max's shoulder and sobbing.

After several minutes, there is a knock at the door and it opens slowly, Chloe peaking her head inside. Max's phone rings again but everyone ignores it. Chloe walks over to me and I stand up, giving her a quick hug and whispering into her ear. "Victoria cut her legs, we want to make sure she's okay."

"Why are we helping her again?" Chloe whispers back with a deep bitterness in her voice. "Doesn't she deserve it?" I move back and glare at Chloe, grabbing her wrist and dragging her into the hall. I slam the door and she looks at me. "Wha..." I smack her across the face, hard. She looks at me in shock and slowly holds her cheek. I smack her other cheek and jam my finger into her chest, speaking through my teeth.

"No one, and I mean _NO ONE_ deserves that Chloe. Do you fucking hear me? No body deserves to be in that place and if you act like that you're exactly the same as the people who pushed me to the brink. Now either you go in there and help her, or you get the fuck out of my sight and never show your face here again you fucking ass." I finish by shoving Chloe and walking back into Max's room, slamming the door. Max and Victoria look at me and I know they see the tears running down my face. I turn around and fling the door open, sprinting down the hall after Chloe. I grab onto her arm and stop her. "Where are you going...?"

Chloe looks back at me with tears in her eyes. She looks at the floor and sniffles. I hold my hand to her cheek and she holds her hand over mine. We stand there for a moment and then Chloe relaxes, sighing. "I'm sorry." Her voice is quiet and high pitched. "I'm so sorry. Please don't hate me..." Chloe stifles a sob and I pull her close, kissing her cheek and nuzzling into her shoulder.

"I don't hate you, baby. I'm just... falling apart right now." I whisper to her and feel a few eyes on me in the hallway, but I don't care. "I can barely keep myself from just curling up and wasting away, I don't know how to help somebody else with this..." I can feel Chloe nod and she pushes me back from her enough to look me in the eye.

"Let's continue this talk in private, in a few minutes. I go help her right now and we can talk in a few, okay?"

"Okay." I nod and we walk back to Max's room. Chloe walks in first and I close the door behind us. Chloe walks over and kneels down next to Victoria. She tilts her head to the side and raises an eyebrow, pointing at the harsh red handprint on the side of Victoria's face. Max clears her throat and look down.

"That was me, I kinda lost it." Max looks sad and Chloe nods.

"That seems to be a theme today." Chloe look over at me with a sad glance and then pats Victoria's shoulder. "Where are they?"

"Thighs..." Victoria whispers.

Chloe nods and looks over at Max. "Dude, you and Kate go stand in the hallway, I'll let you know when you can come back in."

Max nods and gets up. I hold onto the doorknob and look over at Victoria. "Do whatever Chloe asks. You can trust her." Victoria looks over at me and nods. Max and I walk out into the hallway. I close the door and Max looks over at me, raising an eyebrow. I give her a hug and whisper in her ear. "I smacked Chloe twice." I look down and take a shuddering breath. I can feel Max stiffen. "I told her what happened to Victoria and she asked why we were helping and she said something about Victoria deserving it. I smacked her on both sides of her face and told her that no one deserved it. I said that if she was like that then she was just like the people who almost drove me over the edge. I said that she needed to either help or go away and never come back..." I choke and sob quietly into Max's shoulder.

"Today is a rough day..." Max says after a few moments. "Everyone's emotions are raw and we're trying to mend fences with people whom we couldn't be in the same room with lest we try and kill each other less than a week ago." She begins to slowly rub my back.

Soon the door opens to Max's room and Chloe sticks her head out of the gap. "Come on in." Max and I reenter Max's room and we can see Victoria standing in the middle of the room with her hand on her elbow. As Max closes the door, Chloe speaks again. "Well, she needs someone to look after her. Her injuries are fine but she's not in a good place. She needs someone to look after her..."

"I'll do it." Max volunteers, looking over at Victoria. "I'll do it..." she speak in nothing more than a whisper the second time, her eyes slowly filling with tears.

"Okay." Chloe nods. "You might want to check your phone. You got like, 10 calls in the last few minutes." Chloe walks over to me and sighs, speaking only to me now. "Are we okay?"

"As long as you're not upset with me." I look down at the floor and I feel Chloe's hand on my chin, lifting it up and looking into my eyes.

"That means that we're okay." she kisses my forehead and I exhale slowly, closing my eyes and hugging her. Chloe hugs me back and I can feel her turn her head. "Max, Kate and I are going to talk for a minute. After that, do you mind if we come over? The four of us could kick back and watch a few movies or something."

"Sure thing. You okay with that, Victoria?" Max's voice is again very caring and gentle. I open my eyes and look over at them.

"Y-your asking m-m-me...?" Victoria's voice is small and fragile, just as much as the girl looks. Max nods and Victoria takes a deep breath. "That sounds good really actually..."

"Okay then." I speak up. "I'll go get changed into some sleeping clothes." Chloe and I walk out of Max's room and over to my room. I close the door behind us and I cling to Chloe tightly. "Don't leave me..."

"Baby, baby, it's okay. It's okay, sweetheart. It's okay. Everything's okay..." Chloe rubs my back and puts her lips against my temple. "Listen to me, okay?" I nod and wait for her to speak. "I never want someone to hurt themselves. When I said that maybe she deserves it I was talking about the way she's being treated. It just sounds like karma, yanno?"

"Yeah, I do. And I told her that it was karma, but that she didn't need to go through it alone... I have people there for me and I am there for her. It would seem that Max has lost some of her open hatred for Victoria as well." I sigh and look down. "I know that this is karma, but it doesn't feel right. Just because I suffered doesn't mean I want Victoria to suffer the same way. And I didn't let It get to me for a long time. She's been an outcast for all of a day or two and she's falling apart at the seems..."

"Yeah." Chloe nods and kisses my head. "I am willing to help her. Things I say out of anger don't really mean much of anything... even then I didn't mean I wanted her... dead." she chokes out the last word and the I can feel her sob silently. "I don't want to be anything like the people who hurt you Katie... you're my world and I want you to be happy and safe." She gasps and holds me closer. "Don't let me be like them..."

"You're nothing like them Chloe. Nothing at all. You have a heart that is scarred, but keeps on going and helping others. You are a good person, babe. Trust me... there are no hard feelings between us and I love you, so so so very much."

"I love you too, Kate. I love you too." Chloe squeezes me for a moment and then sighs, walking to the closet. "Let's get into some sleeping clothes and get back over there. I wanna show those two this cool show that I like."

"Is it a horror show?" I raise my eyebrows as I get changed into my shorts and tank top.

"No! Of course not. I have no clue where you'd get such an Idea!" She grins at me and I chuckle.

"Chloe!" I laugh. "Come on, be serious!"

"Where's the fun in that, cutie?" She gets on her own shorts that she has in the back of my closet. "But seriously, it's good."

"Breaking Bad?"

"No."

"The Walking Dead?"

"I don't even watch that!"

"What then?!"

"Monk."

"What's Monk?" Chloe stares at me and take a few deep breaths.

"Come with me. I will open your eyes to a world beyond your wildest dreams."

"You already do every time you hold me..." I breath out as our hands meet on the doorknob. As Chloe kisses me, I feel her take my breath away.

_This is what I've always wanted, what I've always been looking for..._

We smile at each other and leave my room, locking it and going to Max's room. We walk in to find Victoria curled up into Max and leaning against the wall on Max's bed. Max's phone is sitting on the nightstand and I look over at it:

_**23 missed calls** _

_**Warren: I hope you find so...** _

_**Warren: Okay. I'm sorry we ...** _

_**Warren: Are you sure? I'm n...** _

_I wonder what that's all about..._

Chloe lays next to Max and I lay between the two of them. I sigh and get comforatable, leaning my head against the pillow. Max pulls a blanket around her and Victoria and Chloe pulls one around her and I. "What are we watching."

"Monk." Chloe pipes up.

"Again?" Max smiles and looks over at Chloe.

"I can't vote cause I've never seen it." I sigh and Chloe wraps her arms around me.

"I like Monk..." Victoria mumbles into Max's shoulder. Max looks over at Victoria and sighs.

"Well, it look like I'm out voted. Besides, I don't mind." She smiles as she puts on the pilot and sets the computer down between us all. I watch intently and I can feel Chloe's breath against the side of my face.

_I like this. It's been a rough last hour or so, but I like this. I could get used to Victoria being around. I just hope that the drama is over._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feed back welcome, Ideas be flowing, new chapter sometime soon.
> 
> Until Next Time, Read On.


	7. Every non-waking moment, is plagued by him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Small continuity error change related to chapter 1 (More in the end of chapter notes).]
> 
> Warning: This chapter is really damn depressing in parts. If you want to skip it, don't read the section labeled "Chloe (Yesterday Afternoon)" because It contains Self hate, referenced self harm, and referenced suicide attempt in this chapter.

_I can feel the cool sting in my neck and I gasp at the sensation of the injection. The world around me slowly blurs until everything is just a mess of blobs and colors. I keep my eyes open and just retreat into the confines of my mind._

_Death has never scared me. In fact, I would like to feel it's embrace soon..._

_I hear distant clicks. They fluctuate between being gentle snaps and mind shattering bangs that reverberate within the confines of my skull. I want to move, I want to jump and run and scream for dear life. But I can do nothing. My eyes are looking, but they do not see. My ears listen, but I only hear the gentle snaps and skull crushing bangs. There is a break and I feel something cold and metal against my neck..._

I scream out as loud as I can. "NO!" I finally feel strength in my arms and I slam my palms at the source of the metal. I hear a thud and I tumble back into something. I open my eyes wide and look around. I look behind me to see Victoria clinging weakly to Max. They both look at me with varying amounts of curiosity and fear. I look back and I see Chloe holding her head and groaning, curled up on the floor.

She looks up at me and blinks a few times. "What's wrong?" Chloe stands up and looks at me, not sitting down yet. My vision begins to blur and my face feels wet. I see a blur of shadows approaching me and then I feel Chloe sitting next to me, holding me in her arms.

_ **Chloe (Present):** _

Kate buries herself in my chest and I hold her close. She trembles and quietly sobs. I look over to Max and Victoria, raising an eyebrow. The two of them shrug and Victoria looks down at Kate, worry clearly written on her face.

_I still want to break her, but that's now nothing more than an after thought. I know that she's changed. She probably feels guilty when she sees Kate sad, knowing how far she's pushed Kate in the past, what almost came of it..._

Max looks at me with a sad smile and pats my shoulder. She whispers something into Victoria's ear and they move down to the foot of the bed, getting off and walking to the door. I close my eyes and burry my face into Kate's hair, hearing the door close gently behind me. "Katie..." I hear another gentle sob and then a sniffle. Kate moves her head and I look her in the eyes. "What happened?"

"I was back in the darkroom. Nathan was there, taking pictures. I still remember the way the camera sounded, the way the colors blurred. I felt your bullets against my neck and in my dream I thought it was him with a needle..." Kate looks to my neck and then hold the bullets in her hand. "I'm sorry... did I hurt you?"

_She's worried about me after a trauma fueled nightmare. Classic Kate Marsh._

"You didn't hurt me. By the way, you are far too caring."

"Nu uh..." Kate shakes her head weakly and I kiss her forehead. I feel her relax more and she sighs happily.

"I love you, Kate."

"I love you, Chloe." She places a hand on my cheek and we kiss, getting lost in each other's arms.

_ **Max:** _

"Because Vic, I don't think you need to suffer..." Max sighs and watches Victoria stare at the floor. They sit on Victoria's bed, next to each other.

_This is a conversation I never wanted to have..."Why don't you just let me go through what Kate did, maybe go through with what she didn't?" what the hell kind of a question is that, Vic?!_

"I do deserve it though..." I take her hand in my and squeeze it. "I don't deserve friends Max. Friends, happiness, health. They're all too good for me."

"Shut up." Victoria looks over at me and her face is a combination of pain and fear. "You deserve to understand where you went wrong and karma seems to want you to feel it first hand. You're a human being, we all make mistakes. But you also deserve a change to make amends and do things right." I squeeze her hand and smile. "Kate has already forgiven you for what has happened and Chloe was even playing nice. She never does that! You are making amends, and they're in the process of forgiving you."

"What about you Max?" Victoria looks back at the floor and drops her voice to a whisper. "What about you..."

"What about me Victoria? Say the words..."

"Do you forgive me Max? Are you in the process or do you even want to? I know that you only hit me once but I would understand if you wanted to again..."

"I lashed out at you because I was hurt and angry. Kate was forgiving you and I wasn't really on board with it at first, but I was starting to think about going along with it. I got the anger out of my system yesterday. I don't want to go back to that..." I can hear the waver in my voice and the hitch at the end. Victoria looks back and me and I lean in close, kissing her cheek where I'd hit her yesterday.

She blushes and looks back at me with surprise. "What about Warren?"

"He's single, just like I am."

"I thought you two liked each other."

"We were trying it. I was trying to see if I was right about myself and I think I am. I've proven it..."

"What do you mean, Max?" Victoria looks at me with a raised eyebrow and a small look of concern.

"I've proven to myself that no matter what I am hopelessly gay." My voice is small and fragile. It's just like my heart, both of them are in Victoria's hand and she could break them without even realizing they were there.

"Max-" I stop her from talking with a kiss. She goes to say something but my arms are wrapped around her neck like a boa constrictor and I quickly feel her arms on my hips. The world around us goes dark as I close my eyes and every sensation becomes her. The touch of her hands on the bit of skin exposed on my waistline. The hot air coming from her nose against my skin. The thousands of goose bumps that rise from my skin and the hair standing up on the back of my neck. The taste of her lips and the softness of her tongue.

_ **Kate:** _

"I'm proud of you." Chloe and I sit on my couch. We left a note on Max's dresser, letting her know that we were in my room and that she and Victoria could come over for tea if they wanted. We'd changed into some regular clothes and she was leaning into my shoulder, her arms wrapped around my back and holding both my hands.

"For what? If it's about the dream then it's nothing."

"No. Thanks for helping with that, by the way. But no, I was talking about things between you and Victoria. You helped her out and you guys are even playing nice."

"Oh, yeah. I'm trying."

"I know that you two didn't always get along in the past..."

"Yeah..." Chloe squeezes my hands and sighs. "Let's do some tea."

"Okay!" I smile and get up, walking over to the teapot and flicking it on.

_ **Chloe (Yesterday afternoon):** _

I watch as the door closes. "Alright, Victoria. Show me what ya got." Slowly, Victoria pushes down her pants as I pull out the gauze rolls that Max told me to bring. I look at the harsh, red lines that cover Victoria's thighs.

_Damn, she's lucky she's still here. Probably a good thing that she failed anatomy, she didn't get any deep cuts on the artery..._

"Scoot to the edge and spread your legs out a little." Victoria slowly moves so she's just barely on the couch and I begin to wraps some gauze around her legs. "Why'd you do it Vic?" I look up at her and she's giving me a dead look, her face and eyes devoid of any life.

"I'm a problem. Everything would be easier if I just wasn't around. I was just trying to fix the problem. But I fucked that up too..." Her voice is frail, full of the emotion and pain that is missing from here eyes.

"I get it." I sigh and finish putting gauze on one thigh, moving to the other. "Believe it or not, I feel like a burden myself. But I have to keep going. I have Kate to be there for. And Max." Victoria twitches when I say Max's name and I hear her breathing hitch. "Speaking of which, I see that she got you pretty good." I tap my cheek with one finger and she nods, hugging herself. "What's the deal Vic."

"I don't know what you-"

"Bullshit. You know what I'm talking about. You and Max. You obviously have something to say about her or something you think. So come on, spit it out."

"I love her." I stop putting on the gauze and look back up at Victoria. "I love Max. I have for a long time..."

"Well you sure have a funny way of showing it." I finish with the wrapping and I stand up, helping Victoria to her feet so she can get into her pants without disturbing the dressing.

"I've been shit to her, I know. I've been shit to all of you. But, I genuinely care about her. I went easy on her compared to others and I admired her from afar. Even before I fell from grace and there were still people outside of this room who would give me the time of day, I knew that I couldn't be around Max. I pushed her away because I knew that I ruin everything I touch. Even if I deserved happiness, which I don't, I would honestly just ruin everything about Max that I love." Victoria looks at a red container on Max's desk. I pick it up and look inside to see bloody razor blades, the ends with fresh blood dripping off them. "I would always hate myself after I did anything to Max. Or Kate. But it was just the way life was in my mind. I knew it was fucked up but I didn't have the will to stop it. I was afraid of being outcast. But look where that got me..."

_Fuck. I knew that she was still human and I thought that maybe once in a while she had remorse, but this is deeper shit than I thought._

Victoria walks over to me and I put the box to the side. She takes my hand and presses my finger against a deep, rough scar on her wrist. "This is when I made Max cry for the first time," she presses my finger to another scar, "The first time I made Kate cry," then another, "The time I heard Max crying in the shower", and another, "The time I fucked you over and got you suspended" then a scar on the other wrist, "The time I fucked over Rachel because I was jealous that she was such a nice, fun person and yet she was more popular than me without even trying." Then she leads me over to the darkest, deepest scar of all. It goes parallel to her arm instead of across her wrists. "The time I found out Max cut herself."

"You tried to-"

"Yes. I did. But Nathan found me and he dragged my to the ER. I would have been kicking and screaming if it weren't for the blood loss." She sighs and keeps my hand there, closing her eyes. "It was right before vacation so Nathan just told people that I was on vacation early." She closes her eyes tight and shakes, her voice suddenly dripping with anger. "I just wished he'd have let me bleed out. Or that if I had to be made to keep suffering that it was someone else who helped me. I was best friends with the devil and he saved my damned life when I didn't even want it!" She speaks through teeth ground together and she begins to cry. Her arms fall limply to her side and I hug her, rubbing her back and trying to comfort her while processing what she's said.

_Her deepest wound is from hurting Max. Maybe she really does love her..._

"Why the scars?"

"Because I need to remember in every waking moment that I just cause pain." She squeezes me for a moment and then backs up, rubbing her eyes. "Every morning when I wake up I touch every scar and I relive what happened. I make myself remember the sound of Max or Kate crying. I remember the image of seeing Max leave the shower with a scar on her skin that was my fault. I remember what it was like to slowly feel cold and see death coming for me..."

"Vic..." I look her in the eyes and take a deep breath. "I know that we haven't gotten along lately. We haven't gotten along ever, really. But, I'm here for you. Kate is trusting you and even Max seems to be trusting you. I never knew you felt the effects of your actions this much. This changes a few things. If you need someone, you can always come to me. Weather you just need a shoulder to cry on, someone to help you out, or anything. I'm here for you. Okay?"

She looks at me and a small smile pulls her lips upward ever so slightly. "Yeah. Yeah, I hear you. Thank you..."

"And Victoria?"

"Yeah?"

"If you love Max as much as you say you do, just be nice to her. No matter how broken you are, she's a strong person. I'm about as broken as they come and she's kept me alive this long."

Victoria flinches and nods. "I will. I'm treating you all better."

"Good. Now let's get things going again..."

_ **Kate (Present):** _

I kneel in front of her and shake her shoulder gently. "Babe."

Chloe blinks a few times and looks at me. "Y-yeah? What's up, love?"

"Tea is done." I squeeze her knee sit next to her. "You okay?"

"No, not really. I was just thinking about yesterday."

_Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck..._

"Chloe," I hold onto her hand and squeeze it hard. "I know that I shouldn't have hit you. I'm sorry..."

"What? No, no no no. It's not about that." She takes my head in her hands and kisses my forehead. "I've forgiven you for that. It's something else."

I take a deep breath and nod. "What is it?"

"Well, I guess I should tell you about what happened in the room after you and Max left.

"Okay. What happened after I-"

"Yes!" I look over at the wall and then back and Chloe, and then back where the noise came from.

Chloe chuckles and I look to see that she is wearing a shit eating grin "Isn't that-"

"Victoria's room."

_ **Max (Present):** _

I pull back from kissing Victoria's neck, seeing the large purple bruise I've left. "Hey, control yourself. You don't want to spook half the dorm do you?"

"Sorry" She looks to the side shyly and I chuckle.

"I don't mind, it's just that the dorm will think we're doing something dirtier than making out and giving each other hickies."

"Yeah. Oops." She scratches the back of her neck.

"It's fine." I smiles and press my finger into her hickie.

"Mmm. This is a pleasant change of pace."

"It is, Vic. It is."

"Love you."

"Love you too Victoria." I smile and we kiss again, smiling into the kiss and letting the world (for the second time today) just fade away.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a small mistake. In the last chapter I made Jefferson good, when I posted the first chapter I stated that the Jefferson darkroom was cannon in this AU. After my 3 month break (due to my computer crashing) I forgot about that little detail. I am retroactively changing it so that Nathan was totally responsible for the dark room.
> 
> BUT, by the time this chapter will be posted, I will have fixed it. This is mostly a notice for people who read the first chapter and didn't go back to it after I corrected it and a fun fact for anyone reading this story after I made the change.
> 
> Until Next Time, read on.


	8. Continued Existance

_ **Kate:** _

The morning after Chloe explains everything to me and we have our special night out, I spend time cuddling with her until school is about to begin. A few minutes before I have to leave, Chloe's phone rings. She picks it up and there is a female voice on the other end. "Chloe, where the hell are you?!"

"I'm just hanging out with a friend." Chloe gets up and walks to the other side of the room. "Well I'm sorry...No I-....I really want this, okay? I was just busy...okay...okay, I'll be right there. Just give me a few minutes to get home...Okay, see you soon, Monica" She hangs up and groans, putting her phone back in her pocket and giving me a goodbye kiss. "Sorry love, I got to get going. I have a little...business to take care of."

I look at her and slowly nod. "Be safe, babe."

"Will do!" Chloe jogs down the hall and out the door.

I sigh and grab my backpack, walking over to Victoria's door and knocking on it. I hear a thud and a muffled apology and then Victoria comes to the door. "Hey Kate. What's up?"

"You and Max should get ready if you're gonna make it to class." I smile as she turns a little pale. "And you should wear a turtleneck. Unless you want to tell people that you've painted your neck and shoulders purple and that those aren't teeth marks." I hear some ruffling and then Max pulls Victoria back and kisses her cheek, sliding into the hallway and going across to her room quickly. Victoria blushes and goes back into her room. I can hear fast movements and things being tosses around.

_Well I hate to break up the mood but we do need to actually attend classes._

After a few more moments, Max emerges from her room with a hoodie and her camera bag slung over her shoulder. "Hey Kate." She smiles brightly and I smile back. "Are you okay?"

"Well good morning Max. I am. I just had a bad dream, everything's fine...I guess."

"You guess?" Max looks at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah. right before I came out Chloe got a phone call from some woman. Chloe was acting a little strange about it and then she said that she had 'business' to take care of."

"It was probably just some person that she works with." Max shrugs and I stare at her for a moment.

"Chloe has a job?"

"Yeah, didn't she tell you? She works the graveyard shift at the two whales." Max looks over at Victoria's door for a moment and then back at me. "She spends her days just doing her things and then she works after Joyce goes home. Neither of them were very happy about it to begin with, but it's grown on them. That's why she doesn't visit much during the week."

"Oh..." I look at the floor and think for a moment.

_Why would Chloe hide that she has a job? I mean, we're really close and we tell each other what's going on in our lives. I don't get why she'd want to hide things from me..._

The door to Victoria's room opens up and she comes out wearing some stained jeans and an old navy blue turtleneck sweater. "Hey, sorry it took so long. I had to search through a shopping bag to get these."

"I thought you only had designer clothes." Max questioned.

"I used to." Victoria sighs. "But my parents heard about my social suicide and they cut me off. So, I sold the designer stuff and got some stuff from the thrift store."

"So, how much of a hardship is it to wear the same clothes as us commoners?" I place my hand on my chest and speak in my best posh, British accent.

"Oh it's really comfy." Victoria smiles and feels the sweater. "I love this stuff. I even started wearing sneakers and holy shit, this is amazing."

I look down and she is indeed wearing a pair of green sneakers. Max smiles at her and we all start walking out of the dorms. As we walk out the front door, I can see Dana shooting us a curious look. When we walk outside, I see Juliet raising an eyebrow and scribbling some notes in her notebook. We make our way to the front door and I look over at the two of them when we are out of earshot of anyone. "So, are you two a couple."

"I think so." Victoria whispers.

"I think so too." Max nods. "We're keeping it on the down low though. Victoria's already center of attention right now with her whole fall from popularity thing. We don't want to fuel the fire."

"I see. Well, I'll see you two at lunch." I smile at them and head off to class, seeing them slit up as well. I walk to my first class and I see some of the members of the Vortex club looking at me as I pass by.

_Oh right, they're not used to my 'new' look._

I grab some books out of my locker and sit down in class. As the first bell rings, I sigh and take out my homework.

_Well, things are certainly changing._

\----------------------------

Classes are slow today, and yet again things just go by slowly. What I do catch from the different lectures are things that I already know, so I just keep zoning out.

_Surely Chloe would tell me if the person on the phone was something I had to worry about, right? I mean, she does love me. It's not like she'd have...another woman. Would she...?_

Finally the bell rings and it's lunch time. I go outside and sit on the grass at the edge of the building. I take out my sandwich and keep going over the conversation Chloe had earlier with, what was her name, Monica?

_"...I really want this..." What does she really want? I mean, that phrase itself is a little suspicious, but then you add in her attitude about it..._

"Hey Kate." I look over and see Victoria sitting next to me. She has a small smile on her face and she is holding a brown paper bag.

"Hey Victoria..." 

"Hey, what's up?" Victoria sounds concerned and like she genuinely cares.

"You're like Max, you know that?"

"R-really? W-what do you mean-n?" Victoria sounds nervous and looks like she's afraid she did something wrong.

"You two both see right through my BS. Plus both of you guys actually care about me. It's really refreshing." I pat her shoulder and look past her. "Speak of the devil."

"Someone call for a devil?" Max smirks as she sits on the other side of Victoria.

"Kate was just explaining to me how the two of us are similar."

"Oh?" Max looks over at me as she pulls out an apple. "I'm flattered to be compared to such a beautiful specimen," Max sneakily winks at Victoria. "But, explain?"

"I was just saying you two see through my BS and that you two really care about me."

"Speaking of which," Victoria clears her throat. "What's going on Kate?"

"Well," I sigh. "I'm worried that Chloe might be messing around..."

"Kate, that's not Chloe." Max reassures me as she shifts so she can look at me.

"Well, that call she got this morning, she was acting evasive about it and she told that girl 'I really want this' when they were talking. I've been thinking about it all day and it might just be my mind coming up with things, but I'm a little worried..."

I fell Victoria's hand on my shoulder again. "I think that whatever it is, there's no way that she's cheating on you. She cares about you too much. The way she talks about you and the ways she looks at you, you're the only woman in her life that she cares about that way..."

"It's not competition I'm worried about, you can always run them off. I'm worried that she might have found someone who's...better in bed." I look down at the half eaten sandwich in my hands and I sigh, putting it back in it's bag and leaning my head against the building. "I'm not exactly a hopeless virgin, but I know I must leave something to be desired..."

"Kate," Max moves to sit next to me. "I know Chloe. She's not someone who gets wrapped around the axel about that sort of thing." Max pokes my shoulder and sighs. "This stays between the three of us, but I've dated Chloe before."

"Oh?" I raise an eyebrow and Max blushes a little, nodding.

"We were trying things out, and we tried going out together just to see what it would be like. It didn't last because we were better as best friends than lovers, but I learned a few things about her. If anything it's made out friendship that much more special. But I know how she is about things. I've been around to see her when she's dated other people and I know her habits. You can trust me when I tell you that she's not seeing someone on the side for sex."

I nod and sigh. "Thanks Max. My mind is still gonna make a mountain out of a molehill, but I trust you." I take out my sandwich and we all continue eating. Right when we are about to leave, I spot Taylor and Courtney staring at us. "Don't look now but Victoria's old 'friends' are giving us death stares..." I see Victoria look out of the corner of her eye and she stiffens slightly. "Let's all go back inside. Photography is only a few periods away, lets just get to class early."

"Good idea." Max says. "I'll see you later, Vic."

"See you, Cutie." We all get up and go our separate ways. Max goes to her next class, I go to my locker, and Victoria goes to the restroom. "See you soon, Kate."

"See you soon, Victoria."

\----------------------

As I enter photography, Max and Victoria are sitting next to each other. I walk over and pull a chair over to the side of their table. The three of us exchange small talk and I catch Taylor staring daggers at us. I narrow my eyes back at her and she looks away first. I look back and Max and smile. Eventually, Mr. Jefferson enters the room and he makes his rounds. When he reaches our table, he raises an eyebrow and looks over at Victoria. "Miss Chase. I see you've take a more, humble approach to your dress. You seem happier too."

"I am." Victoria smiles and nods.

"I'm glad. You seemed a little down the other day. It's also interesting to see you and Max socializing. You two have always been fierce competitors."

"Oh we still are." Max pipes up. "We've just figured out how to get along."

"Well it's good to see you three getting along." He smiles at me and I smile back. Mr. Jefferson goes to his desk and mulls over some paperwork for a minute and then nods to himself. "Alright class, let's get started. As I mentioned yesterday, we will be working with instant film. I will hand out polaroid's to everyone and we will split into groups. Now, this is going to be a little different, I want you to split into groups of four. We will, however, have a group of three due to...the classes odd number." Mr. Jefferson sighs and shakes his head.

_He seems pretty upset about what Nathan was doing. It was messed up, and he was the person who taught him about light and shadow..._

Mr. Jefferson clears his throat and adjusts his glasses. "Anyways, we are going to be splitting into groups and we will find some kind of theme that we will use to try and make a collage. There needs to be a few things. There must be contrast in lighting, there must be at least one shot from each person that doesn't involve people, and there must be at least 12 pictures in the collage." Mr. Jefferson pulls out a flask and unscrews the cap, taking a swig. "Does everyone understand the guidelines?" Everyone nods and so he takes another swig, putting the flask back in his pocket. "Okay, I want teamwork and I want everyone to be doing their part. You're project will be due next Monday." He sighs and pulls the flask out. "Everyone find their groups, I need a refill..." He leaves and closes the door behind him.

People begin moving around the room and I look over at Max and Victoria. "Wanna be the group of three?"

"Sure." They both say at the same time, causing us all to giggle.

"Hey Max," I wait for her to look at me and then I lean in. "Do you think Mr. Jefferson is okay? I haven't seen him drinking before."

"The man taught photography to Nathan Prescott. I'm just happy he's coming to class sober..." Max frowns and sighs. "I do hope he's okay though. He's always nice to us."

"Yeah." Victoria nods. "He's always looking out for our best interests."

We all nod and then Max pulls out her camera, setting it between the three of us. "So, we need to brainstorm some ideas. We all need to take at least four pictures each, I think we should go at least five each just incase one of them comes out bad. We should also shoot at different times of day. We could shoot during Mid day, the golden hour, and at night."

"Yeah. And for the Pictures that don't involve people, we could go out to the country side. There are some good scenes that we can get form out there." I add in.

Victoria looks at the camera for a second. "Isn't the film for that pretty expensive?"

"It is." Max nods and looks at Victoria with a smile. "But I'm hording the film for this damn thing like for dear life. I have a drawer full of film."

"Nice." Victoria smiles back.

"Hey fucktards." The class suddenly becomes silent. we all look to see Courtney leaning over the table with Taylor next to her sneering at us. "Well, it would seem that the dykes have decided to team up with abstinence girl. What a fucking surprise. Let me guess, you're gonna go take pictures of rainbow flags with your stupid little punk friend. Right? Then you all are gonna get together and sing about the glory of God, right?" Right when she finishes Max bursts out laughing and the girls lean back in disgust. "What's so funny, dyke?!"

"I believe Max finds it humorous that you two waited until I was in the classroom before you started your open display of bullying and using slurs." Taylor and Courtney stiffen and slowly turn around, seeing Mr. Jefferson standing behind them with his arms crossed and a brown bag with a bottle in it.

"What are you gonna do? Tell Mister Wells? We could bring up that you're drinking on school grounds." Taylor scoffs at him crossing her arms.

Mr. Jefferson glares at them and then pulls the bottle out of the bag and speaks in a loud, angry voice. "Last time I checked, cream soda is allowed on school property Taylor. I would like both of you to come with me to Mister Well's office without incident. Otherwise I would have to be forced to call your parents as well. Would you follow me?" He throws the door open and points out into the hallway. The two girls look at each other with wide eyes and then quickly go into the hallway. When the door shuts, everyone look at us. Max pulls out a slip of paper and gets to work with writing something. Victoria looks at what she is writing and I pretend to pay attention. After a little bit, Mr. Jefferson enters the room and sits at his desk. "Class, I see that you are all in your groups, but I think that someone from the group of four will have to work with the group of two. Taylor and Courtney are not going to be present for this project. I would also like to address my flask. I like cream soda. It is my one vice. I know that it may be discouraging to see your teacher drinking from a flask, but I assure you that it is never filled with alcohol." he sighs and turns his attention to his paperwork.

_Well, this class isn't what I expected._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to improve myself as a writer. So, please comment what you think the best part of this story is and what the worst/weakest part is. Thank you all for reading.
> 
> Until Next Time, Read On


	9. Spoiled by confrentation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning for: People with eating disorders.

As photography class comes to a close, I find my mind wandering again back to Chloe. Her phone call this morning could have been something innocent, but I don't know. I still have my doubts, but I guess I'll have to just have faith.

_Hmm. I just hope that I'm putting faith in the right idea..._

After the final bell of the day rings, we all gathering our things and head out the door. I pull out my phone and see that I have a message from Chloe.

**Lover: Hey baby, I'm gonna be busy. I won't be able to talk or call for the week. I'll make sure to be over Friday afternoon though.**

**Lover: No hard feelings..?**

**Me: No hard feelings, babe. Just make sure that you can stay the night Friday.**

**Lover: Yes Ma'am**

**Lover: I love you <3**

**Me: I love you too, sweetie <3**

I put my phone away and sigh. "What's up, Kate?"

I turn to see Victoria looking at me a little concerned. "Nothing much. Chloe's just mysteriously busy and she can't contact me till Friday..."

"You still worried about her...looking else where?" Victoria words her question carefully and I nod.

"You know what, I trust her. My mind might be trying to freak me out, but I trust her."

Victoria smiles and nods. "Hey, do you want to stop by after you finish your homework? Max and I were gonna finish brainstorming for the project."

"Sure thing." I grin and lean in close. "Just make sure to keep from screaming this time..." I smirk at her as her cheeks become a light pink.

I put my stuff in my locker and head back to my dorm room. A few minutes later I can hear Max enter Victoria's room and there is a small thud against the wall. I sigh and smile, shaking my head.

_Those two have really clicked. I'm glad that they're happy, even if I'm a bit cynical at the moment._

I go back to doing my homework and wait a good half hour after I'm done, just to give the love birds a little extra time.

\----------------------

The rest of the week goes by agonizingly slow, but with some consistency. Max and Victoria put together the photography project and I contribute the best I can. When everything is done for the day, I head back to my room and a few minutes later, Max goes over to Victoria's room and spends the rest of the night there. After about an hour of studying and playing with Alice, I head over and we talk photography. After a little while, I head back to my room and drink some tea. I talk to Alice about Chloe and my worries about her as they churn in my head, trying desperately to just let myself trust Chloe one hundred percent. As the sun sets, I change into some sleeping clothes and lay in bed, staring at the ceiling as my tears blur the room into a river of darkness. Eventually, my mind goes through every way Chloe might be cheating on me and I sob into my pillow, crying myself to sleep.

\----------------

As I wake up on Friday, I can feel my body barely holding itself together. I drink a few bottles of water and I blow my nose. When I look into the mirror, my eyes are bloodshot and my hair is a mess. I look at my bare shoulders and see where I've been clawing at them as I bawl my eyes out each night. I sigh heavily and take my things, going to the showers and taking a stall. As the hot water flows over me, I look at my body.

_How could she like my figure? It's so disgusting. I'm too fat. I haven't eaten in days and I'm still too fat..._

I feel my stomach howling in misery and I feel the pain again.

_I can't give in...I have to make myself good enough for her..._

I try to summon up the energy I have to get through the day, starting with scrubbing myself clean.

_I'm dirty. I'm dirty, I'm fat, I'm too clingy. I'm not good enough for her. If I was good enough, she wouldn't be pushing me away for 5 days with no contact. I can't slip up because I might loose her._

I don't notice the tears as I lean my head against the wall and start crying.

_I need her, I can't let her be repulsed by my flaws. I have to fix myself so she'll love me again..._

I hear the door open but I don't stop sobbing soon enough. "Hello...?" Max calls out

"Hey Max..."

"Kate? Are you okay? You've been a little distant the last few days."

"Y-yeah. I'm f-fine..." I mentally berate myself for the mild stutter.

"Okay. If you say so, Kate..." Max clearly doesn't believe me but I have to finish showering.

_I have to scrub away my flaws..._

I shower and scrub until my skin is red and the water is cold. When I come out, I walk over to the mirror and look at myself. I start crying again and I hear the other shower turn off. There's the sound of feet hitting the floor softly and then there is a hand on my shoulder. "Kate, level with me." Max's voice is firm and she clearly is tired of my being so evasive.

"I'm scared Max..." I sniffle and look over at her. Her eyes widen a bit. "I'm scared that Chloe doesn't love me anymore..." I choke up for a moment and take a deep breath. "She broke all contact since she left that morning, only sending me a few texts saying that she was busy. I figured that maybe I'm too clingy so I'm trying to just not worry at all and be chill about it. Then I realized that I'm too fat and maybe she doesn't want to love me if I'm too fat so I haven't eaten since lunch on that day and I'm still fat. And when I was in the shower I realized how filthy I am and I figured that maybe if I was cleaner then she wouldn't leave me-"

Max places her finger on my lips and I look at her. "Kate, Chloe still loves you. Whatever she's doing has nothing to do with not liking you. You are a clean person who was in a healthy relationship with someone they love. You weren't fat at all. Honestly the only thing Chloe would do if she heard you say any of that is she'd apologize for not making it clear enough that she loves you."

"If she loves me then why is she calling with some woman and telling her that she 'really wants this'. Why is she being so vague and evasive and not talking to me at all. I mean, it's been days and she hasn't sent me a single text after telling me that she wouldn't be contacting me till Friday..."

"What was the last thing she said to you Kate?"

I stop and think for a moment. "She told me she loved me..."

"I figured she'd say something along those line." Max smiles at me and pulls me into a gentle hug. "She loves you and knowing her she's put things off just to be with you and it's all coming back to bite her. She's probably rushing around to do things before she gets in trouble for not doing them. That's just who she is..."

"You really think so...?" I can feel my heart beat slowing down a little and my breathing is coming easier.

"I think so one hundred and then percent." Max pulls back from the hug and pats my shoulder. "I have to go get dressed. And I actually don't have any laundry done so I'm gonna have to sneak into Victoria's room and get some of my clothes out of her closet." I chuckle and nods. "I'll see you at lunch time, okay? And today you're going to eat something!"

"Yes Ma'am." I smile and nod, grabbing my things and heading back into my room. Max walks up to Victoria's door and knocks gently. When the door opens, Victoria's eyes are wider than I've ever seen them and Max walking into her room. Max grabs Victoria by the collar and pulls her into a kiss, shutting the door with her free hand. I shake my head and go into my own room, getting dressed and preparing for the day.

\------------------

 When it is time for photography class, Max and Victoria are (as usual) already in their seats and whispering among themselves. When I come over, Max looks up at me and smiles. I smile back and sit down next to her. "So, are you guys sure there's nothing left to do?"

"Yep, Max has It stashed away in her room and we have everything already put together." Victoria nods over at Max with a smile.

"I don't feel like I've helped you guys enough. We're all supposed to pull our own weight here." I sigh and Max pokes me in the shoulder.

"You have." She insists. "Besides, we still have the presentation which is a three way split but you are doing the introduction. It all comes out in the wash Kate. Besides, any extra work that Vic and I did is just either our separate parts of the project and what little we did last night was just us getting things taped together and making sure it looked nice. You've done your part!"

"I suppose." I nod and look around the room. Other people are still picking which photos they will use and one group is even trying to get someone to figure out what they will take pictures of.

Mister Jefferson comes in the door and makes his rounds from group to group, looking things over and talking to a few students. I catch a few comments like "this is going to be due soon" and "good progress". When he makes his way over to our table, his eyebrow is raised and his arms are folded in front of him. "Are you three finished already?"

"We are." Max nods and smiles, breaking away from her small talk with Victoria. "We have it all put together and ready for Monday."

"Excellent. I have high expectations for you three and I just know that you won't disappoint." He smiles and sighs. "You know, I'm not actually going to be doing anything today. It's just a day for your peers to work on the project. If you three wanna leave early I could write you notes and you could just go do whatever for the rest of class. I just ask that you don't get into too much trouble." He grins and chuckles while he speaks at the end. We all nod and he pulls out a small notebook, handing us handwritten passes. He smiles at us and thinks for a moment. "Hey, why don't you three come up to the front for a minute, it won't take long." We all gather out things and approach the front off the classroom. Mister Jefferson claps loudly. "Okay class, today you will have the whole classtime to work on your projects. These three are already done, so they are leaving early. I know that you still have until this time Monday to work on it, but I suggest that everyone take a note from these three and make sure to be proactive. It's not a quality to be a procrastinator. You all can get to work." Mister Jefferson turns to us with his smiles and a look of approval. "And you three ladies are free to go. Have a nice weekend and make sure to be ready for Monday, I'll be looking forward to it."

We all bid him farewell and walk out into the hall. I pull out my phone and look at it, seeing a new text message.

**Lover: Hey Katie. I'm free! lemme know when I can come over!**

**Me: Get your ass over here, ASAP.**

**Lover: Okay. Love you!**

I find myself smiling and the weight of the world seems to leave my shoulders. My gut relaxes and I can feel my blood finally become warm again.

_She really does love me..._

I take a deep breath and look over to Max and Chloe. I smile and show them the texts. They also look at the texts from before she went silent and I end up in a three way hug. "Hey guys?"

"Yeah Kate?" Victoria pulls away and smiles at me.

"Can we grab something to eat? I'm starving..." I can see Max wince out of the corner of my eye and they both nod one too many times.

"Yeah, let's go to the cafeteria." Max pipes up. "I hear that they have a few extra bagged lunches at the end of the day and they're a little cheaper cause if no one buys them they have to chuck them out."

"Well, let's not leave them waiting." Victoria throws in. "By the way, we should throw our stuff in out lockers first." We all nod and go to our lockers, meeting back up again and going to the cafeteria. Once there, we each get a couple bagged lunch and we head outside. We find a picnic table and start eating. I eat through my stuff fairly quickly and both Max and Victoria give me their second bag. I eat one and leave the other one for later. After about 20 minutes, I see Chloe's truck making it's way down the road at a mild speed. She pulls into the parking lot and about a minute later I see her jogging. She stops short of us and sits next to me. She pulls me into a hug and kisses my forehead.

"I missed you." I take comfort in the strength that she holds me with and I take a deep breath, committing this moment to memory. "Are you cheating on me?" I feel Chloe tense up and her arms loosen. She looks at me with a hurt look on her face.

"Kate, why would you ask that...?"

_Shit shit shit..._

"I..." I take a deep breath and look away from her. I stare at the table desperately wishing that I can keep down all the food I've just eaten with the way my stomach is churning. "You got that phone call from the woman earlier this week and the way you talked was kinda strange. I heard you say 'I really want this' and then you were really vague when you left. And when you left you just...stayed gone. You didn't even send me a text message saying hi or that you loved me all week." I choke up for a second and I hug myself. "I thought that you didn't love me anymore and that you were cheating on me. I figured that I had too many flaws. That I wasn't clean enough, or that I was too clingy, or too fat. I've been scrubbing myself raw in the shower every morning and I ate lunch after you left but I didn't eat for the rest of the week until just a few minutes ago. I'm just trying to make you love me again..." I let my head fall to the table and I begin crying. I feel Chloe's arms wrap around me and I'm sobbing into her chest. "Just tell me what's wrong with me..."

"Kate, I'm not cheating on you." Chloe sounds almost annoyed but still very caring.

"Then what are you doing..." I've stopped sobbing and I'm just shaking a little.

"I'm going to college." I pull back and look at her. I see a sad look on her face. I look over to Max and Victoria, who are looking at each other, and then back at Chloe. "I didn't want to tell you guys because I wanted it to be a surprise, but I've been attending an online college since after we got together. I'd already studied and gotten my GED but I didn't have a degree. So, I'm taking online classes and working so that I have the money I need to attend. The girl who called me the other day is named Monica. She's not my _other woman_ , she's my personal tutor. I missed a few lessons and she was getting frustrated with me because she thought I was just blowing her off..." Chloe looks down for an moment and then makes eye contact again. "I'm sorry that I caused you heartache, but I just wanted to give you a surprise. I've always felt like I was a lesser person for never finishing school, and I just wanted to show that I was as good as everyone else..."

"Chloe..." I shake my head and hug her for a moment. When I pull back, I give her a kiss on the cheek. "You aren't just as good as everyone else. You're better. You're an amazing person and I really care about you, okay?" I sigh and hold her hand. "It's nice that you wanted to surprise me, but let's not keep things that big a secret from each other in the future, okay...?" She looks at me for a moment and I can feel my heart break. "That is, if you still want there to be a future between us-" I'm stopped by Chloe's lips. It's a fast kiss, but it's one that conveys love and passion as much as a long one.

"Of course I want a future between us. I love you, Katie." Chloe's smile lifts my spirits and I feel like I'm floating.

"Okay." I smile back and kiss her cheek, getting up and grabbing the spare bagged lunch I have. "Why don't you three talk and catch up while I go throw this in my room and feed Alice. Then we can go do something fun. Just the 4 of us."

"Sure thing." Max pipes us, lifting her head from Victoria's shoulder and kissing the girls hand. Victoria blushes and nods.

"Don't be long, love." Chloe nods at me.

"I won't" I begin walking back to the dorms and I look over my shoulder before I turn the corner. I see them smiling and the occasional laugh.

_I'm so lucky. I have a Wife who loves me, two amazing friends, and a great life..._

I walk into the courtyard in front of the dorms. I hear rustling in the bushes, but I chalk that up the Samuel's squirrels. As I approach the door, I feel a pain in my side and I fall to the ground, the sidewalk coming up to meet me. I blink a few times and then a fist makes contact with my face, "Your mother doesn't approve of your actions, Katharine." I try to struggle, but I can't get free. "I won't kill you, but I'm here to make you understand the weight of your sin, for sinners must suffer..." I feel a series of punches hit my face, followed by a few to the gut. My attacker stands up and kicks me, over and over again. I feel blood flow from my nose and mouth. As the world fades to black I only feel the agony of their attacks, all over my body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, Kate kinda slid off the deep end a little, didn't she?
> 
> I hope that you enjoyed todays chapter and (A small side note) I'm going to be accepting requests! Just shoot me a quick email at "Fandoms_R_Fun@mail.com" and I'll look at doing a new story. I could do one shots or a multi chapter story. I'd give you credit for having the idea and I'd be willing to work with someone together on a story.
> 
> Until Next Time, Read On.


	10. Throught The Valley of The Shadow of Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed the first line of Chapter 8, it explains one of the events in the chapter. Go read that if you read it before this chapter was published.

_ **Chloe:** _

"You know, I wonder what's taking Kate so long." I sigh and look at my phone. "I'm checking on her."

"We'll come too." Victoria says, getting up and Max following her. I move at a brisk pace and I can hear them falling farther and farther behind me.

_Well, Max is still in crutches, so that's not surprising._

As I turn the corner, I hear grunting. I keep moving briskly until I'm in the dorm courtyard. I see a man standing over Kate, kicking her motionless body. I sprint at him, full speed, ramming into him and taking him to the ground. He reaches into his pocket but I slam his head into the concrete. I hit him in the throat and pin his hands with my knees as I punch him in the head over and over. I hear a gasp behind me and a "Holy shit!" from Max.

I get up and look down at the person on the ground. He's wrething in pain and his nose is bleeding.

_good..._

I kneel down next to Kate and take her pulse. It's there, but I know that she's taken a bad beating. "Max, go get Samuel." I nod over to the little area where Samuel spends most of his time. Max nods and moves as fast as she can without falling over. "Vic, go get my truck and drive it around. Take Kate to the hospital, I'll meet you there." I toss her my keys and turn to the guy on the ground. rolling him onto his stomach and pulling his hands behind his back. Samuel rushes over and I look up at him "Call David Madsen and tell him there is an emergency at the dorms." Samuel nods.

"Samuel already has."

"Okay, I need you to help Max and Victoria get Kate into my truck so we can bring her to the hospital." Samuel nods and I hear foot steps and the Jangling of keys coming from around the corner. David emerges and looks over at the situation.

"What happened here?!" He asks, moving over to Kate, checking her pulse.

"Kate was going to go to her dorm, when we came to see what was taking her so long this guy was beating her senseless. She was already on the ground. I took him down and Victoria is pulling my truck around to bring Kate to the hospital." I feel the guy beneath me begin to struggle and so I slam his face into the sidewalk. He groans in pain and David comes over, handcuffing the guys and looking at me with concern.

"You take Kate to the hospital. I'll stay here and take care of this." I nod and pick Kate up, holding her and making sure her head is safe.

"Max, you might have to ride in the truck bed."

"It's fine, just don't make any bad driving decision."

"My father died in a car crash, Max. Safe driving is kinda my deal." I snap back at her. She nods and we hear my truck pulling up. Victoria stops in front of us. She gets out and I move forward. "Help Max into the truck bed."

"No, I'll just drive Max in my car, get going." Victoria helps me get Kate in the passenger seat and I give her a tight, brief hug. I run around to the driver side and hop in, driving out of there and to the hospital."

_ **Kate (The special night out):** _

The shock of everything Chloe has told me fades and we have been drinking tea for a while now. We're all finished and Chloe clears her throat. "Kate, I love you."

"I love you too Chloe.'

"Please, let me finish..."

_uh oh..._

"Kate, I love you. You mean the world to me and I just can't live without you." She takes a deep breath and kneels in front of me. "Katharine Beverly Marsh, Will you marry me?"

_NOT WHAT I WAS EXPECTING! OH GOD! WHAT DO I SAY!?!_

I look at Chloe and see the anticipation in her eyes. I can see a few drops of sweat on her brow, and I can see the worry in her eyes."Yes."

_Why, why did that come so easy...?_

Chloe stands up and I stand up to meet her. She kisses me and if she wasn't already holding me I would have fallen over. It's a kiss full of passion, and love, and desire. It's a kiss that I never want to get from anyone else. It's a kiss that is mutually special.

_I said yes because I want this. I want to always be with her..._

"Let's elope."

"E-what...?" I look at her and wait for an explanation.

"Let's run off and get married, right now. Just us. You, me, a preacher, and some witnesses. All we have to do is go get a marriage license, sign it, and the Justice of the peace will marry us on the spot. It's a real marriage and if we want to have a bigger wedding we can later, but let's do this, just for us..."

"Why the rush?" I look at her with suspicion.

"Because I love you. I want this and I want this to be official. We don't have to if you really don't want to, but if you're going to marry me and spend your life with me, why wait. Why bring along the wrath of your parents and the judgment of your peers. Besides, what if something happens to one of us. I trust my mother to let you see me if I was hurt, but do you think your parents would let you _female_ spouse to be ever see you again after you ended up in the hospital, them being the people who can keep me out and even decide weather or not to end your life if they see fit in a given situation..."

"I see what you mean..." I sigh and look back at her. "If anything happens, we'd get separated and my parents would have the power of attorney. They're the kind of people who would try to split us apart and mess everything up." I look down and make up my mind. "Let's do this. Tonight. Let's get married..."

\--------------------------

"And, here you go." The woman in Portland hands us our marriage license and smiles at us. "The justice of the piece is in the other room. He doesn't have anything going on at the moment so you can see him in a few minutes." She stands up and walks into his office.

I hold Chloe's hand and smile at her.

_I'm actually doing it. I'm actually getting married to my girlfriend..._

We sit there for a few more minutes and then the Justice of the Peace opens the door and motions for us to come in. "May I see the license?" Chloe hands it over to him and he nods, handing it back. Chloe folds it up and puts it in her pocket. We go through the ceremony and reach the exchanging of the rings. "Chloe Elizabeth Price, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do." Chloe slides the ring onto my finger.

"And Katharine Beverly Marsh, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do." I slide the ring onto Chloe's finger.

"By the power invested in me by the state of Oregon, I now pronounce you, Wife and Wife." He looks over at Chloe and smiles. "You may kiss the bride." And she does, oh does she. She pulls me into a passionate, but brief kiss, smiling at me. The Justice of the peace pokes Chloe's shoulder and Chloe looks back at him. "Can I see the license again? I gotta stamp it." Chloe nods and hands it over, letting the man stamp the license and then giving it back to us. Chloe folds it up and places it in her wallet, which she slides into her pocket. We thank the man and we head out, back to Chloe's truck.

"Back to Blackwell?" Chloe asks with a smile.

"Not first. Let's go somewhere quiet where we can have a little time to ourselves. I mean come on, we just got married!" I spin the ring around on her finger, smiling happily. Chloe smiles and starts to drive back to Arcadia Bay. "You know, I think that things are going to go well. We'll have to hide the marriage part for a little while, but eventually we can come out with that too."

"let's let our friends accept us as a thing first."

"Okay." I sigh happily and we drive. A few miles outside of Arcadia bay, as the sun is starting to set, Chloe stops at an abandoned rest area and shuts the truck off.

"So, What did you have in mi-" Chloe never finishes the sentence because before she can try I'm in her lap, holding onto her hips and biting her neck.

 

_ **Chloe (Present):**_

I lock up the truck and carry Kate into the emergency room. I walk through the automatic doors and over to the desk. The nurse looks up and her eyes widen. She picks up her radio and speaks into it. "I need a stretcher at the emergency entrance." She puts the radio down and looks at me. "What happened."

"Some dude beat her up real bad."

"Okay," The stretcher comes down the hall and the nurse nods towards it.

I set Kate down gently and the guy pushing the stretcher looks at me. "Does she take any medication?"

"No"

"Any medical conditions?"

"No."

"Okay." he rushes her off to somewhere behind a set of swinging doors.

The nurse hands me a form. "I will need you to fill this out. Are you related to the patient?"

"Yes, I'm her wife."

"Really now?" The woman looks at me strange and I nod.

"Yeah, I have the marriage license on me." I pull it out of my wallet and show it to her.

"Okay, I'm just making sure." She nods and sighs. "Fill that out and give it to me when you're done. If there's anything you don't know just leave it blank. If she's ever been here before her information should be in the computer." The nurse walks back to her station and gives me a clipboard and a pen. I sit down and start filling out the paperwork. I remember back to the night we got married...

_ **Chloe (Special Night Out):** _

"Love." I wait until Kate looks at me and I look at her, making out her face in the dark. "We should talk about some things."

"Okay." Kate kisses me and holds my hip under the covers. "What do you want to know?"

"Well, do you have any medical conditions?"

"I do not. And I don't take any kind of medication. What about you?"

"Same." I think about any other important information that I might need to know. "Do you have your own insurance?"

"Yes, my parents helped me get my own when I turned 18. It's all on file at the Arcadia Bay Hospital."

"Okay, that's good. My stuff is also on file at the hospital and I go off of David's health insurance. He got it when he retired from the army."

"Good to know." Kate's finger runs along my hip and up to my abs. "Do you have a criminal record (and before you ask, no I don't)."

"Haha. It depends on what you call criminal. I got some parking tickets cause the meter ran out, but nothing beyond that."

"Okay." Kate kisses my shoulder. "Is that good enough for now?"

I smile and nod. "Yes, that's good enough for now." I kiss her forehead and she sighs happily, moving closer and kissing my neck softly and I let my eyes close and relax against her touch...

_ **Chloe (Present):** _

I fill out all of the form that I can and I bring it up front. "I filled out all I could. Her information is supposed to be on file anyways."

"Okay. I'll let you know if anything happens." I nod and sit back down, putting my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands.

_The same week that we get married, I'm rushing her to the hospital and hoping that everything goes well..._

I take the ring out of my pocket and slide it onto my finger, spinning it around a little and sighing as the warm metal moves around my finger. Soon the door opens and I hear the clicking of crutches as Max comes to sit next to me, followed by Victoria. I slid the ring off of my finger and hold it in my hand, keeping a death grip on the small metal band. As Max sits next to me I can see the sweat on her face and she sets her crutches to the side, wiping her brow. "What's happening?"

"I don't know. They got her into the ER and I turned in the form. Now it's just a waiting game to see what happens." I sigh and hear more footsteps. I look up to see the nurse approaching. I slip my ring back on and wait for her to get there.

"Miss Price, your wife's parents are listed on her file. Should we call them out here?"

"No, She and her family have had a falling out and them getting involved would only bad for the worse."

"I see. Well, she has been examined and she is stable. We want to keep her over night for observation, but you can see her now if you'd like. She's in room 241."

"Thank you. Umm, can she have other visitors or just me?"

"Well, since she's not in any kind of critical condition she could have other people visiting her. But I wouldn't suggest more than 2 or 3 people in the room at any given time. We don't want her to get stressed out. That could exacerbate her injuries."

"Okay." I nod and wave Max and Chloe to follow. Max sighs and Victoria helps her stand. "Max, I can carry you if that would be easier." She looks down for a moment and then nods. I lean down and pick her up. She wraps her arms around my neck and Victoria takes her crutches along too. We all get into the elevator and go to the right floor. I carry Max all the way down to the room and then set her down. I look at them for a moment and sigh. I open the door and the walk into the room after me. I take a seat next to Kate and take her hand in mine, gently.

Max looks over at me. "Thank for the lift." I nod but keep looking at Kate. "Good thinking by the way, saying you two were married." I set Kate's hand down and pull out my wallet, taking the marriage license and handing it to Max. She takes it and I can hear the paper being unfolded. "Oh..." the room is silent for a few moments and then Max hands it back to me, folded. I put it back in my wallet and slide it into my pocket, taking Kate's hand again.

"When did you guys get married?"

"After Kate had her nightmare and we spilt up, we went to her room for tea. I ended up proposing and Kate said yes. We took the short drive to Portland and got married. I slipped them extra money and so we were able to get it done faster. We slipped back into Blackwell and we had a fun night. The next morning I got the call from Monica and I had to run off and for the rest of the week." I begin rubbing the back of Kate's hand with my thumb. "We hadn't been married 24 hours and I already had to leave her. We haven't been married a week and she's already gone into a downward spiral and gotten put in the hospital..." I feel myself choke up and I start crying. I can't hold it in any longer. I can feel Max's hand on my shoulder and I squeeze Kate's hand. We sit there for a few minutes, in silence.

I feel Kate squeeze my hand and her voice comes from the bed, soft and slow. "Baby, don't cry. I'm here. It's going to be, okay."

I have to keep myself from jumping up and giving her a crushing hug. "Kate...?"

"I'm here." I look up and see her face. It's bruised and covered in dried blood. She has a small smile on her lips and my vision narrows down to her face. She squeezes my hand again and takes a deep breath. "Apparently my parents don't want me to be, but I am..."

"What do you mean." Max's voice makes my vision expand and the world around us comes flying back to me.

"The guy who attacked me, he said that my family didn't approve of my decisions. He said he wasn't going to kill me but that I was a sinner and sinners need to suffer..." Kate grimaces and squeezes my hand harder.

"My own family made this happen to me..." her voice is broken, the sounds of her heart breaking into a million pieces being put to words. I see the look of betrayal on her face and I feel the blood boiling inside me, rushing through my body like a hive of angry bees.

_I can be angry and blow up later, when no one is around to see it. I need to be strong for Kate._

"They aren't your family any longer Miss Price..." I smile at her, trying to clear the air of the emotion, dripping down and staining the room in darkness like a pool of old blood.

Kate smiles and nods. "You sure have that right, Miss Price..." Kate looks next to me and I see Max and Victoria looking at her. "You three are my family. My real family. That's not going to change..."

"Thank you, Kate." Victoria's voice is weak, but full of joy and care.

"Yes, Thank you." Max's voice is just like Victoria's, only stronger.

"We'll get through this. We'll deal with it all, in due time. But you need to heal, and we need to have a talk about what to do in the future. But I think we can do it, together..." I squeeze Kate's hand again and she squeezes back, nodding happily if not quite slowly.

"Together."

\---------------

_ **Kate:** _

Eventually, Max and Victoria leave to go back to Blackwell. Chloe stays here and holds my hand the whole time, not letting go. "You know Chloe," I say as I look out the window and see that the sky is pitch black. "You can go back if you want. You could even stay in my room. Max has had a spare key since the day after my big nightmare thing."

"As nice as that sounds, that room is dead and empty to me without you there. Honestly all rooms are..." She kisses the back of my hand. "Where ever your heat beats, I feel at home."

"What about when it stops beating." I ask, a good idea where she'll go with it.

"Then I won't belong anymore." She sighs and looks deep into my eyes. "If you die first, I'll keep going. For your sake, not mine. I won't want to keep on going, but I know that you will want me to be happy and live life for how ever longer I have it."

I nod slowly. "If you died first, I'd probably follow close behind."

"That's something I wouldn't think of you saying..."

"I'd probably die of a broken heart." Chloe chuckles and I squeeze her hand, silencing her. "It's possible. It happens when the fibers in the heart break due to traumatic grief."

"Well, I guess I'll just have to out live you." Chloe kisses my hand again.

"I'm gonna be around for a very long time."

"I wouldn't want it any other way..." I smile and close my eyes, feeling my eyelids becoming quite heavy. "I love you, Chloe."

"I love you too, Katie. I'll be here, all night. You won't be alone..."

"I never am."

"Because of God?" Chloe asks with a smile in her voice.

"Because you're alive in my heart." Chloe doesn't say anything else. Instead, she kneels next to the bed. She leans over and kisses my forehead, placing my hand on her heart. I feel the strong, rhythmic beat. I look into her eyes and soon, the heartbeat from my heart monitor and Chloe's heartbeat are one in the same. I smile and close my eyes, letting exhaustion carry me into a deep, restful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this story is getting pretty interesting. I love writing this and I hope you like reading this insanity.
> 
> Until Next Time, Read On.


	11. Roll on down the road.

_ **Kate:** _

When it is time to be discharged, I have to talk to two people, officer Berry and the doctor. Officer Berry takes my statement about what happens, asking me some questions and then letting me know that they will notify us if anything happens. After he leaves, the doctor takes his turn talking with me. He tells me that I need to take it easy and rest. I should avoid anything too stressful and not do anything physically demanding. He leaves the room and we pull the curtain so that I can get dressed. I stand up, and I almost fall over, being caught by Chloe. She helps me to stand straight and I sit down on the hospital bed. "Well shit." I sigh and shake my head. "Out of all the things I can do, standing is pretty evasive at the moment."

"Well, that's fine. I can carry you around and when it gets to the point where you have to go back to school, I have a wheel chair at home that you can use." Chloe smiles at me and I chuckle.

"Why do you have a wheel chair?"

"Well, my dad was someone who always liked to be prepared. So, one day he came home with a collapsible wheel chair. He looked at my mom and said: 'honey, if we need it, then we won't have the money to spare. We already have a pair of crutches from when Chloe broke her leg and these can be expensive. I got it on sale anyways'." Chloe looks down for a moment and her smile fades. "I miss him..." I reach out and take her hand, squeezing it. She looks back at me and nods. "It's been five years, love. I'll be fine." She sighs and looks over at my clothes laying on the end of the bed. "Well, I guess we're doing this the hard way."

"Chloe, I can dress myself." I take the socks and bend over to put them on, suddenly feeling a sharp pain in my side. I gasp and straighten up gritting my teeth and closing my eyes. "On second thought, I could let you help. If you insist."

Chloe chuckles and helps me get dressed. After that, she helps me to my feet and we head out, Chloe supporting me all the way. We let the nurse know that we already have a wheelchair and we're on our way. When we reach Chloe's truck, she unlocks it and lifts me up, setting me inside. She closes the door for me and then goes over to her side, hopping in and buckling us up. She starts the truck and begins to pull out of the parking lot.

As we go down the road, I hear my CD playing softly in the background. I smile and shake my head. "You still listening to my music?"

"One, we both like the same music, and two I've listened to it almost religiously every time I drive somewhere. I've been running around non-stop for a while and I wanted something that reminded me of you." Chloe is mostly staring at the road but I can see her eyes flick over to look at me a few times.

"Well, I'm glad that someone was able to appreciate it. I usually have to keep from playing my CD's unless I'm in the car alone." I shake my head for a moment. "My family would never approve of me listening to it so I have to try and hide it."

"Yeah..." I can hear the creak of Chloe's teeth as they grind together and I see her knuckles going white as she grips the steering wheel, the only color on her hand is the silver wedding band that she's wearing again. We're silent until we reach her house. "Wait here for a minute." Chloe hops out of the truck and goes inside. I close my eyes and let the music fill my ears.

**...I cry, when angels deserve to diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiie...**

After a few minutes, I hear a screeching and grinding that makes me open my eyes. I see Joyce standing behind the now open garage door and Chloe comes back to sit in the driver seat. She drives into the garage and Joyce closes the garage door again. As it clangs shut, she walks over to a pile of boxes and moves a white sheet. Behind it is the wheel chair that Chloe was talking about. Chloe comes around and opens my door, picking me up and walking over to the wheel chair, placing me in it gently. "Do you want a push, or do you have it from here?" Her voice is soft and her face is devoid of judgment, only showing concern.

I grip the wheels and pushes them around a little. "I got it from here. Thanks."

"No problem." Chloe smiles wide and looks over to her mom. "I'm gonna go check the cupboards." Joyce nods and Chloe opens a door, walking into the house.

Joyce turns to me with a smile and takes my hand, running her finger over the wedding ring. "Welcome to the family, Kate." Her voice is warm and inviting and it makes me feel so much better. I release a breath that I didn't know I was holding, and I hold my arms out. Joyce picks up on the signal and gives me a gentle hug. patting my back and rubbing it a little. "So, we have a little bit to catch up on. I'm not going to say that I'm especially happy with my daughter not telling me that she was getting married, but I'm sure she had a reason to do so. Besides, I can't exactly see any reason to not like you." Joyce shakes her head and then starts walking to the door. "For such an unpredictable nut job, my daughter does have good taste." I follow close behind her and we go into the living room. I roll up next to the couch and situate myself so that I can watch TV.

"Hey mom, I'm gonna go grab something at the store. I'll be back in a few, okay?" I hear Chloe saying as she walks into the room behind me.

"Okay, drive safe and be home at a reasonable time." Joyce turns on the TV and mutes it.

"Don't worry, I have to come back and annoy the crap out of Kate." Chloe leans in and her face is next to mine. Her voice is lower and she looks at me. "Love you, baby." She leans in and we share a brief peck on the lips.

"Love you too..." I smile and she nods, moving back and disappearing around the corner. I can hear the door open and close, shortly followed by the screeching of the garage door, the sound of an engine, the garage door again, and then the sound of the motor fading into the distance. I sigh happily and then look over at Joyce. She's giving me a knowing smile and a nod.

"So." Joyce, takes a sip from her cup of coffee. "You're always welcome here. The only thing I ask is that you and Chloe are decent about things. Don't be ridiculously loud at night or overly affectionate around the rest of us."

"Yeah." I nod and try to straighten out a wrinkle in my jeans.

"I don't want to seem noisy, but would you mind telling me how you ended up being my daughter-in-law and why you're in our wheelchair right now? Chloe was really vague and she said that you'd be willing to explain a few things." I chuckle and nod. "I've come to expect pretty much anything from Chloe, but 'pretty much anything' does not include her coming in and saying, 'hey mom, Kate is sitting in the truck, we're married, and I need you to open the garage door so I can help her into that wheelchair dad bought.'" She takes another sip of coffee and I nod slowly.

_Well, it looks like I've got a lot of explaining to do..._

\--------------

I do explain things to Joyce. I tell her (leaving out the intimate moments and events) how Chloe and I met, how she swept me off my feet and proposed, about our late afternoon visit to the Portland town hall and courthouse, and even about me being attacked. I skip over the part about the drama between Chloe and I over her tutor, leaving that for Chloe to bring up (if she chooses to). "You're family would really have someone do that to you? Why?" Joyce's voice is full of poorly hidden outrage.

"Because of what I am. I started to dress like this and I stopped pretending to be the shy little wholesome girl that I haven't been since I was twelve. Chloe and I eventually went out and kissed in public once and I think most of the campus either was there or heard about it later that day. I knew the word would probably reach my family but I didn't really care. I just wanted to be myself." I look down at the wheelchair for a minute and sigh. "I guess this is a little reminder that life isn't that easy."

"Life ain't easy, but there's no reason for this to happen to ya..." Joyce shakes her head and sighs, moving to sit right next to me.

"You know, they are my family, but they aren't really...if that makes any sense." I sigh look over at the TV for a minute, then over at Joyce. "They're the ones who I share blood with, but they aren't the people who I choose to call family. The ones that really matter. There's only 3...well 4 now, people that I call family. I consider Chloe and Max family, Max's girlfriend, and now you."

Joyce's smile returns to her lips and she nods. "Why thank you, Kate." She looks over at the clock on the wall and frowns. "Chloe should be back by now." I think back to a conversation I had with Max before I first met Chloe.

_"Her father died about 5 years ago. Her mother was at the grocery store and when her dad when to get her, his car was hit by a drunk trucker. I had to leave for Seattle shortly after. We tried to keep in contact but eventually my anxiety got the better of me and we just fell out of contact. When I heard that I was going to be coming back to Arcadia Bay, I finally worked up the courage to get in contact with Chloe. She was 'hella mad' as she would say. It took a few days for her to respond to my text message, but eventually she said that she wanted to meet up. So we did. I met her the day I came back to Arcadia bay. I was sitting in the two whales and I see the old, beat up truck, slowly driving up and parallel parking so meticulously that you think a robot was driving. I think that you could balance and egg on the hood of her car and it'd still be intact when she reached her destination..."_

I blink a few times and pull out my phone, looking at it to see a text message from Max:

**Let Joyce know that Chloe and I are coming over and we're bringing a guest.**

"Chloe apparently picked up Max and another friend." I shut off my phone and sigh, slipping it back into my pocket. "The text is a little old so they should be here any-" I'm interrupted by the sound of a vehicle pulling into the driveway, followed by the sounds of it being moved into the garage and shut off. The door to the garage opens and Chloe comes in, holding a bag of groceries. She is followed by Max (who is holding a half full bag of food while using her crutches) and Victoria. Max and Chloe go into the kitchen with the food and Victoria sits down in the arm chair, looking around nervously.

"Victoria Chase, huh?" Joyce crosses her arms and glares at Victoria. "Why are you here?"

"I'm Max's girlfriend." Victoria says as calmly as she can, which is very nervously.

"Oh?" Joyce looks over to me and I nod. "Well, I know that the girl has a good head on her shoulders and if she's your girlfriend she must see something in you. If Chloe hasn't strangled you already I guess she agrees with Max." Joyce sighs and her eyes narrow. "Chloe is my daughter and Max is basically my daughter too. I just hope for your sake that you don't cause her any heartache..."

"Don't worry mom, I told her about the time you ran after dad with the frying pan." Chloe walks back into the room and sits between Joyce and I. Max rests on her crutches behind the chair and rests her hand on Victoria's shoulders.

"The son of a gun chipped my favorite coffee cup!" Joyce replies, smiling wide. "You at least mentioned that, didn't ya?" Chloe nods and Joyce shakes her head. "I really miss that man sometimes..." The room goes silent and Chloe squeezes her mother's shoulder. Joyce clears her throat and looks over at Victoria. "Just understand Victoria, I'm trying to look out for Max."

"I know." Victoria nods slowly. "Between Max and Chloe I've gotten a few talks about treating the three of them well."

The room falls into silence again and then I sigh, looking over and Max and Victoria. "So, are you guys gonna let me present on Monday?"

"Well, I think that Jefferson would understand if you didn't want to do it on Monday, but I know you want to." Max sighs. "I mean, I'm gonna be hobbling around anyways, so it kinda completes the set in a way. One person standing, one person with crutches, and one person in a wheelchair. Speaking of which, how long do you have to be in there?"

"I don't have to be, I just..." I blush and look at the floor for a moment. "I had a lot of internal bleeding and so I have to take it easy, but I can't stand up on my own..." I see Chloe stiffen a little and I sigh again. "I can present no problem, I just have to avoid lots of stress and I should be resting, but since I'm in the wheelchair I think I'll just make sure I don't try and stand up anytime soon."

Victoria clears her throat for a minute and then scratches at her head. "What are you going to do about your parents Kate?"

_What am I going to do about them...?_

"To be honest, I don't know. Part of me doesn't want to have to deal with it, but I know I should. Maybe I should talk to my family. I don't want to go alone, but I'm not going to ask anyone of you to come with me because I don't want anyone to feel obligated to..."

"You can count on me." Chloe takes my hand and squeezes it gently.

"I'll come with you guys." Max volunteers.

Victoria chuckles and nods. "I'll be there too. Even if I wasn't attached to Max at the hip I'd be coming along for the ride."

Joyce clears her throat and looks at us. "I know that you probably don't want an old fart like me tagging along, but you girls are in way over your head with this one. I think that, even if you don't want me to come along, you gals should have someone older come along with you."

"I would like it if you came along, Joyce." I smile and she nods a few times. "So it's settled then, we have our little posse to go and talk with them. I don't think that I could handle it right now, but maybe next weekend if you are all free?" There are nods all around and I take a deep breath. "Well now, since we tackled the elephant in the room, lets get back to the fun stuff."

"Yeah." Max says with a smirk. "Chloe, why don't you tell us about how college is going?"

"College?!" Joyce looks at her daughter, her eyebrows raised.

"Surprise...I got my GED and I'm taking online classes." Chloe blushes a little and rubs the back of her neck.

Joyce leans in and hugs her daughter. "I'm so proud of you, Chloe." Chloe blushes more but hugs her mother back.

_Well, I wouldn't say life is back to normal, but I like it. I wouldn't want it any other way._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Until Next Time, Read On.


	12. Showtime

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of the top if not my number one favorite story to write for. I hope that you folks enjoy reading this at least half as much as I enjoy writing this.

After a little bit of banter, Chloe stands up and kisses my forehead, smiling as she pulls back to look at me. "I'm gonna get working on diner." She begins walking to the kitchen and she turns around, clearing her throat. "Hey Vic, can you help me out with the cooking?"

"Oh, I don't know Chloe. I'm not good at cooking." Victoria looks over nervously and fidgets with her hands.

"Which is why I'm gonna keep you from messing it up. Besides, if you're gonna be with Max at least one of you should know how to cook something that doesn't come out of the microwave."

"Hey! I resent that!" Max feigns insult and smiles wide.

"And I resent letting you try to help me cook food on mothers day that one time."

"That was only one time!" Max shakes her head and laughs.

"Yeah, and you damn near burnt down the house! That's why it was the only time I let you cook in this house!" I chuckle as Chloe waves her hands around wildly as she speaks.

"What happened?" I ask Max with a puzzled look.

"Well, you see we were making toast and I was putting the toast in the toaster and there was no way that I was going to get it in there with how hot it was so I just kind of got the toast in there without getting my hand too close to it and I pushed the lever down." Max was blushing and she was avoiding eye contact with us.

Victoria places a hand on Max's cheek and Max closes nuzzles into it. "How did you almost burn the house down by putting the toast in, babe?" Victoria's voice is calm and soothing, seeping with affection and care.

Max sighs and rubs her forehead. "I accidentally got the curtain caught in the toaster and it caught fire. Chloe had to put it out and her dad drove us to the store and we bought new ones. We had to buy a new toaster too." I look over at Chloe and she is looking at Max and Victoria, smiling. Her arms are crossed and she is leaning against the diner table.

"Ever since then, I have not allowed Max to cook. Realistically I'd let her cook as long as I'm watching but she's never really showed any interest." Chloe's voice has lost it's joking nature, but isn't overly serious either. Max nods and sighs, standing up straight again.

"She is right. Besides, if you go help her your girlfriend in crutches can sit down, thank you very much." Max's voice sounds serious and Victoria looks worried. She stands up and looks over at Max, seeing her wide smile and relaxing. Max kisses her cheek and sits down. "Relax, I'm just pulling your leg. But seriously, you should help. You'd learn a few things." Victoria nods and goes off into the kitchen to help Chloe. Max looks over at me and sighs. "So, Congratulations."

"On what?" I tilt my head slightly and raise an eyebrow. Max raises her hand and taps at the base of her ring finger.

_Oh..._

"Yanno, kinda marrying my best friend without even telling me." Max has a smile, but I can hear a slight edge of hurt, cutting away at each other her words.

"Max, believe me I wanted to tell you. But I was worried about the who thing between Chloe and her tutor and I was just freaking out. It was a quick thing that we were just keeping to ourselves. We weren't going to keep you in the dark any longer than we had to." I sigh and rub my forehead with my hand. "We were just waiting until graduation so that I didn't have any kind of big fight with my parents. But our efforts didn't end up doing jack shit..."

I hear a sigh and Max hobbles her way across the room, plopping down on the couch beside me and sighing. I feel her hand on my shoulder, moving down and rubbing my back. I sigh myself and shake my head. "Sorry Kate."

"Nah, it's fine." I look at her with a smile and she pats my back, leaning into the wheelchair. "Hey..." I look around for a moment and think for a moment.

_Neither Victoria nor Joyce have heard my singing. Maybe I could bring them a little surprise, and raise Chloe's spirits a little. I mean, she's doing fine, but I want to have a nice, fun time before we go off to face my parents..._

"What is it, Kate?" I blink and look back at Max.

"Are you and Vic staying over tomorrow?"

"We were planning on it. Why?" I smirk and Max looks like she's preparing to hear something dangerous.

I lean in and whisper to her. "I was wondering if we could do some guitar hero tomorrow. The four of us." Max tries to object but I hold up a hand. "I won't over work myself and I'll even be willing to trade off with someone if it's not working. I just want to have some fun before next weekend." Max nods and slowly pats my hand, smiling sadly. "I have fun just being around you guys, but I kinda want to do something really fun with all of us and let lose before the whole nightmare of dealing with my parents."

"I get it, and I'm totally up for it." Max turns her head and looks into the kitchen. I follow her glance and I see Chloe pointing at the measuring cup that Victoria is holding. They have different ingredients out and they are talking just quietly enough that we can't make out the words. "You just have to convince the younger miss Price." She look back to me and thinks for a minute. "Speaking of which, are you Kate Price now or are you still Kate Marsh?"

"I did and sent in the paperwork to get my name legally changed. I want nothing to do with the Marsh family name. Besides, Price isn't that bad. And there are enough puns that come with the name that I could be making crappy jokes for years to come."

"Sadly Chloe's already beaten you to the punch many times over. Besides a million and a half ways to call me some version of Max, she's also come up with damn near every pun imaginable for saying Price and making it a pun. We were almost going to have a mock intervention to stop her from making all the puns."

"Ha, I could totally see Chloe just making a run for it. You'd just sit down and say 'Chloe, we need to talk' and the next thing you know she's jumping out the window and running for the woods." I begin to laugh and shake my head imagining the scene.

\-------------------------

After about half and hour, Chloe drapes her arms around my neck and rests her head on my shoulder. "The things I do for love."

I smile and I kiss her cheek. She pulls back and smiles at me, resting her forehead against mine. "Speaking of, I have a request for you."

"Name it and it's yours..." Her voice is only a soft whisper, but it screams love and care more than the words themselves can express. I take a deep breath.

"Rockband tomorrow? You, Max, Vic, and I?" Chloe raises an eyebrow and smirks at me.

"Is that all?"

"For now." We share a brief kiss and I can hear movement next to us, but I ignore it. "I figured that you'd give a little more resistance to it. Cause of the injuries."

"Well, I know that you really like singing so I don't want to try and take that away from you. You're a big girl and you know when you have to stop. Besides I'd gladly jump at the opportunity to her you sing." She kisses my cheek and leans over, whispering into my ear. "Sexiest thing I've ever heard." I chuckle and she moves behind me. "Undo your breaks." I look at her for a moment and realize what she wants, reaching down and unlocking the wheels. I look over and see that Joyce is asleep and Max is spaced out, Victoria sitting next to her. "You FOOLS!" Chloe's voice booms and it echoes through the house. Joyce jumps up and looks around wildly while Max throws herself into Victoria's arms. "Food's ready." Victoria chuckles as Max mumbles quietly and Joyce just shakes her head.

Chloe rolls me over to the table and gives me a hand wipe. I wipe my hands and she throws it into the trash, heading upstairs to wash her own hands. Max follows her while Joyce sits next to me and Victoria moves the food over to the table. She places down a pan of shepherds pie and a pan of lasagna. I chuckle and smile at Chloe as she came down stairs. "You remembered..."

She sits down next to me and kisses my forehead before grabbing the big spoon and scooping some out. "Of course I did. I remember that whole conversation. Besides, what kind of a wife would I be if I didn't remember your favorite food?"

"An attractive, smart, punk rock girl whom I love very much." I smile as Chloe rolls her eyes and I get some shepherds pie and a little lasagna on my own plate. Max eventually comes downstairs and sits next to Victoria. Joyce is sitting at the end of the table and Chloe and I are across from Max and Victoria. There is an open space at the end of the table where David will sit when he gets home. Everyone starts to dig in and I silently close my eyes, holding my hands together and look down.

_Lord, I know that I am incredibly luck. You have blessed me with the opportunity to have such wonderful friends and find love, an for that I give my thanks. I prey to you that this confrontation with my parents is the right thing, and that no one is harmed. Please guide me through this time and let me see reason. Thank you for everything, Amen._

I do the sign of the cross and pick up my fork to eat. I notice that it is silent and when I look up, everyone else is looking at me. I blush and clear my throat. "What...?"

"We just wanna know what you think of it." Victoria's brows are pushed together and I chuckle. I take a fork full of shepherds pie and eat it.

"Mmm. This is good." I swallow and take a bit out of the lasagna and eat that too. "The lasagna too." I smile up at Victoria and she visibly relaxes.

"See Vic, I knew you'd turn out to be the cook in your relationship." Chloe says with a little food in her mouth.

"I'm right here..." Max sighs and shakes her head, eating her food. Before anyone can say anything, the front door opens.

"Hey honey, sorry that I'm late. I had some extra things to do after my shift...ended." David stops and looks around the table, seeing all of us and nodding slowly. He silently kicks off his shoes and grabs a place and silverware from the kitchen, sitting in the empty space and scooping himself some food. He looks around again and gulps. "Hello everyone." He moves his food around and looks over at me. "So Kate, how are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm fine. The wheel chair is just because I had a lot of internal bleeding and so it's a bit too tricky to stand up right now. Besides, I need to be taking it easy so I'm gonna be using this to get around school." I explain. He chips away at his food and nods along. "I know they haven't put in the ramps yet because the handicapped fund went missing, but I'm sure that I can still manage."

"Hey, that's what I'm here for." Chloe gently nudged me. "Besides, I did kinda promise I'd be there, 'in sickness and in health'." She smiles and tries to sneak some more shepherds pie onto her plate. I hear David cough and I look up as Joyce passes him her glass of water, which he takes a sip of and passes it back. Chloe looks back over at him with a cocky grin.

"Sorry, just a little..." he coughs a few times. "a bit surprised."

"I'm 19 David. You do know it's not that strange for people to get married at my age."

"It's not that I just... I didn't know you two were dating until a few days ago."

"Oh." Chloe just nods and goes back to eating.

I sigh and look over. "Do you have any kind of objections to that, Mr. Madsen?" I get a sideways glance from Max at the coolness in my voice but I just stare at David, giving him direct eye contact and tilting my head a little.

David looks back and shakes his head. "Not at all. I may not be the best step parent or the wisest person but I know that even if I did object, Chloe is a grow woman and she is free to make her own decisions. Besides, she takes after her mother and no force in heaven or hell could stop one of them if they get pissed off." He gives Joyce a quick smile and she scoffs, shaking her head.

"You're damn right on that one." Joyce takes another scoop of lasagna. I finish and rest my hands in my lap. Chloe reaches over and we hold hands, our fingers intertwined. I squeeze her hand and she squeezes back.

\-------------------------------

As dinner wraps up, I yawn and Chloe looks over to me. "You tired?"

"A little. I kinda wanna go lay down." Chloe nods and stands up. "Couch or bed?"

"Bed." I blink a few times and look at everyone. "Good night everyone." everybody gives a 'goodnight Kate' with various degrees of affection. Chloe rolls me over to the stairs and then bends down a little. I put my arms around her neck and she picks me up, carrying me up the stairs. She opens her room and looks over at me.

"You do realize we're crossing the threshold, right?" Chloe smiles and I nod a little. "You ready, Katie?"

"Always..."

"Okay." Chloe steps into her room and walks over to the bed. She sets me down and then heads downstairs. I hear her close the door and go downstairs and walk around a bit. I look around the room, taking in the calm of it. I close my eyes and roll over, sprawling out like a starfish and smiling.

_Everything smells like Chloe. Awesome..._

 

**_Chloe (Present):_ **

I walk down the stairs, my smile pulling at my muscles in a way that almost hurts, but I don't care. When I reach the bottom, I fold up the wheel chair and lean it against the wall. I walk back into the living room and sigh. Max and Victoria have finished and they are on the couch together while mom and David sit at the table talking about something in hushed voices. I go lean over the back of the couch putting my head on top of Max's "Hey Maxipad, what's up."

Max takes Victoria's hand and kisses it, nudging her a little. "Babe, can I have a minute with Chloe?" Victoria nods and gets up, walking into the kitchen. I sit beside Max and smile at her. "Hey, Chlo. What's up?"

"Well, I wanted to ask a small favor or two."

"Shoot." Max crosses her arms and waits.

"Well,"

"No." Max shakes her head and grins at me.

I smack her shoulder gently. "Maaaaaaaax I haven't said anything."

"Just covering my bases. Anyways, go ahead."

"Uuugh, Anyways, I want a little while with Kate. Probably half an hour, so just chill and flick on the TV."

"Sure thing. I want to just cuddle with Vic right now anyways."

"Okay. Also," I lean in and whisper into Max's ear. "Don't talk about Kate's singing ability. I want it to surprise Vic." When I pull back, Max is grinning along with me.

"Okay. Just make sure that you guys don't wake me up like last time."

"Only cause it'd ruin the surprise."

"I'll take it!" Max smiles and gives me a tight hug. I hug her back and stand up, walking over to the table. I look over at Victoria, giving her a quick nod. She goes back to cuddle with Max and I sigh. looking down at mom and David, who are both looking at me curiously.

"The other girls and I were wondering if we could use the TV for Rockband tomorrow. Just, kinda relax before a week of school and then facing the Marsh clan."

David raises an eyebrow and mom sighs, looking over at him, taking his hand. "I'll tell ya later." She looks up at me and smiles. Sure thing. Just not before 9:30. I think the neighbors want to get their beauty sleep. And I want a little warning on when to put in my headphones."

"You sure? We're having Kate sing..." I hold out my arms and take a few steps backwards.

"Now don't you push that poor girl to loose her voice the day before a presentation."

"I won't ma. Besides, it's just a little fun to let loose, relax."

"I see. Well, make sure that things don't get too rowdy down here. I don't want you waking the dead." mom smiles and I nod, heading back to the stair.

"Night all." Everyone says 'good night'  and I begin to climb the stairs. As I reach my room, I wait for a minute and lay my ear against the door.

"Easy. Pull out your heart to make to make being alone, easy. Easy." Kate sings from the other side of the door. Her voice wavers ever so slightly as she sings, giving it a sad hoarseness. I slowly open the door and close it behind me gently. "Easy. Easy. You break the bridals to meet, loosing control. Easy." I slowly begin to walk over to her, watching my step to make as little noise as possible. "Easy. Crushed for your holy soul. Concealed and cold. Easy." Every word she sings leave the goose bumps on my skin growing and I can feel a faint vibration in my chest. "Easy." I take off my shirt and press down on the bed, making her jolt in shock and she looks over at me, still sprawled across the bed like a starfish. She sighs and pauses the music. "Hey babe." she rolls onto her side and moves so I can lay down. I do so and we cuddle, facing each other.

"Don't let me interrupt you." I kiss her forehead and let my lips linger for a few moments. "You're amazing..."

Kate strokes the goose bumps on my arm with her thumb and smiles. "Thank you." She takes her earbuds and slides them back into her jean pocket, setting the phone between them and restarting the song. It begins to play and Kate rests her forehead against mine and sings along. When the song ends, She shuts off her phone and puts it back in her pocket as well. She moves closer to me and pulls me into a kiss.

We lay there and kiss for several minutes before deciding to get under the covers. We strip down and I help Kate get underneath the blankets. She nuzzles into my chest and I sigh happily. "Where's that from?"

"It's one that just came out recently. I found it and I really liked it."

"I like it too." Chloe rubs my shoulder and sighs happily. "I love you so, so much Katie. I'm glad that you're with me."

"I am too, Chloe. I am too." I close my eyes and relax.

We hold each other and after a while, there is a timid knock on the door. "Come in, Max." The door opens and I open one eye, glancing at Victoria and Max as they come into the room. I sigh and get out of bed walking over to the door and helping Victoria move in the inflatable mattress.

Max hobbles over to the computer chair and sits down, blushing. "Shouldn't you put clothes on?"

"Max, I'm in a room with my wife and my two closest friends. Both you and Kate have seen me naked multiple times and Victoria is pretty much the only reason I both keeping this much clothing on. Besides, this is the same amount of skin I show in a bathing suit."

Max looks over at Victoria, who just shrugs. "She has a point."

I head feet slam into the floor and a hand on my shoulder. I look over and see Kate smiling at me, blushing a little. "Well since you're all okay with this level of dress I guess I'll join in the party. Don't wanna be a prude."

"Katie, you should be in bed."

"Babe, I need to stretch sometime, I've been taking it easy all day. Besides, I have to use the bathroom."

"Okay. You want me to help you over there?"

"I think I can walk over there mostly on my own. But it'd be nice if you stood outside the door incase I fell or something."

"Sure thing." I smile and support her as we walk across the room. When we reach the door she is walking on her own, all be it a little slow. We go out into the hallway and I stand outside the door, waiting for Kate to do her thing. I lean against the wall and think about everything that's happened.

_If someone had told me a month ago that Max would be in crutches, Kate Marsh would be my wife, and Victoria Chase would be sleeping over at my house as a good friend, I would have them committed. Hell, if they'd even said that I got married and life was good I'd call BS. But as things are now, I wouldn't want it any other way..._

I hear the toilet flush followed shortly there after by the sink. After a minute or so, it turns off and I can hear Kate shambling over to the door. It opens and Kate walks out, reaching out. I rush in and hold onto her firmly. She smiles at me and I help her back into my room, closing the door behind us. Max has already helped Victoria and herself to the spare sheets in my closet and they are laying on the air mattress, Max's crutches laying next to her and their clothes sitting at the end of the mattress in a pile. Kate and I hobble over to the bed and Kate climbs under the covers. I laydown and she faces away from me. We spoon and I sigh happily, holding her close. As sleep takes me, I can only think of how amazing Kate is and how lucky I am that she is in my life.

 

_ **Kate (Present):** _

I slowly let my eyes flutter open, feeling the warmth of Chloe pressed against me. I smile and sigh happily. I feel her kiss my cheek and I giggle happily. "Morning babe."

"Morning Katie." She squeezes me gently and rolls out of bed, throwing on her clothes. "Everyone else is downstairs. Max helped Vic set up the Rockband stuff and I made sure you woke up right. Breakfast is ready and everyone is downstairs." She looks over at me and smiles. "You ready to rock."

"I was born ready" I smirk as Chloe holds up horns with both of her hands and sticks her tongue out. "Let rock em'."

\-------------------

After I'm all dressed and we get downstairs, I sigh and look at the wheelchair for a minute. I'm leaning on Chloe, having insisted on walking down. "You mind if I sit in a chair?"

"Oh, sure thing." She smiles and we walk into the living room. I sit down in the chair and Chloe sits down sits next to Max, who has a guitar. Chloe does a little warm up on the drum while Victoria stands behind them with a guitar controller. I smile and Max hands me the mic. "You ready Katie?" I nod and Max picks up the controller. She scrolls over to 'psychosocial'.

"So Kate. Just, do your best." Max gives me some pretend encouragement and tries not to break out into a smile. She gives me a brief nod, which I return.

"I...I'll try my best." I pretend to look nervous and I look over at Victoria who gives me a reassuring nod. I look over at the screen and notice that they all have their difficulty cranked up super high. I nod a few times and look over to Max. "Hit it." She presses start and we all get ready. They three of them get jamming away and I just close my eyes, grinning wide and taking deep breaths. I begin to growl a bit right before my part and then let loose.

"OOOOOOH YEAH!" I hear a loud squeal and the game pauses. I chuckle and look over at Victoria, who's hiding behind the couch, poking her head out at me. I grin, keeping my voice low and deep "Someone scared?" I watch with amusement as Max readjusts her collar and blushes a little. Chloe smiles wide with pride and Victoria blushes herself, moving down more.

"Don't worry, she won't bite Vic." Chloe says to her and then she looks over to Max. "Sorry Max, she won't bite you either." Chloe winks and smiles. Max blushes even worse.

I move back to my normal voice for a moment. "Now Chloe, play nice." Then I sigh and sigh. "You okay Vic?"

"Y-yeah!" She stands up again and straightens her shirt. "I'm fine. Just...surprised..."

"It's okay babe, we were surprised too. I messed up playing and Chloe was like a puppy. It was pretty cute-hey!" Max gets elbowed by Chloe and we all share a laugh. Max looks over at me with a smile. "That was even more intense than the fist time."

"I was holding back." I smirk and sigh. "I gotta get the vocal chords stretched a little first, but after I give the thumbs up we restart, okay?" They all nod and I grin. Growl, turning it into a deep, low scream that shakes my chest and booms through the room. It rises higher in pitch quickly until It sounds like an opera singer started singing. I sigh and give them the thumbs up. Max nods and restarts it. they all get into position and we go again.

I begin my growling again and close my eyes, getting ready. "OOOOOH YEAH!" We play the song all the way through and I sing my heart out. At the end I look up and see that we all did perfect. I look over at them and smile, clearing my throat. "Good job guys. Hey, why don't we do Anthrax - Caught in the Mosh Pit?"

"Sure thing." Chloe pipes up. "I don't mind surrendering my pick. It's really good anyways." I nod and we start the song, getting ready to play the morning away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the song that Kate sings in Chloe's room (It was released on the 8th of October 2013 which means it was released the same day that episode 2 [and part of episode 3] would have taken place.) :  
> "Easy" by Son Lux  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PIPyPMNnp8
> 
> If anyone wants to learn more about the LiS timeline, then I would recommend reading the Time line on the LiS wiki. It's full of information and I could read over the wiki for hours on end and not begin to even scratch the surface:  
> http://life-is-strange.wikia.com/wiki/Timeline_(Life_is_Strange)
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the read and...  
> Until Next Time, Read On.


	13. It all comes crashing down

As the final song comes to a close, I sigh and stretch, hearing my back pop. "Chlooee..." My voice comes out more horse than it was the day after our last Rockband session. Chloe looks over, her eyebrows raised. I can see Max and Victoria both flush in the face. I hold up my hands and close them a few times. "A hand?" Chloe nods and gets up, coming over and helping me to my feet. I kiss her cheek and she giggle.

"Alright Katie, where to?" I glance over at Max and then back at Chloe.

"Well, Max needs her blood to be going into her leg so she can heal sometime this century but at this rate I don't think a drop of it has left her face." I wink at Max and she begins rubbing her neck, chuckling nervously. "Oh don't worry Maxine, your lover isn't doing much better..." We all look over to Victoria and she is even redder than Max, her eyes wide. She adjusts the collar on her shirt and crosses her legs, eyes darting all over the place.

Victoria desperately stands up and points at something. "Oh look, and umbrella! I haven't seen one of these in...weeks!"

Max giggles nervously and I smirk, standing all on my own and slowly walking to Victoria. I look her over and my smirk grows. I lean in and whisper into her ear. "It's a little late for that Vic, you're already wet..." I hear her squeak and she shakes a little. I back up and flick my tongue at her. She gulps and grips the umbrella until her knuckles turn white. "You are so helplessly gay."

Victoria's blush is still prominent and she just turns around, facing the wall. "Who says I would wanna be not gay, huh?"

I chuckle and walk to the kitchen, leaning against the counter. "I see." I open up the fridge and look inside. "Mind if I help myself to a soda, Chloe?"

"Nah, go ahead. Not like I can really stop you if you wanna drink something." Chloe sits back down as I reenter the living room, plopping back down in my chair.

_How about I have a little fun with this..._

"What about another woman?" Victoria is still facing the wall and Max starts violently coughing on her water. Chloe looks at me with a grin and sighs.

"You're all mine Katie. You're not gonna be with another woman." Her voice is firm, but there is some playfulness in it.

I pout a little and look pointedly at Max. "Not even if we share her...?"

_If they were any less close to me I wouldn't even think of doing this but they get the concept of fooling around and having a good time._

Max's eyes widen and she gulps, looking over at Chloe, biting her lip for a moment. I open my bottle of coke I have and take a sip, licking the lip of the bottle. I push myself up and stand behind the couch, leaning over it. I kiss Chloe's head and giggle. "I'm just teasing you guys. I will admit though, this is hella fun." I take another sip and offer some to Chloe, who takes the bottle and takes a sip. "I think I've found a fun past time."

"In the name of everything holy, please no." Victoria's voice comes a little muffled and I sigh.

When Victoria turns around, Max looks her over. "Babe, did you...did you piss yourself...?"

"N-no..." Max raises any eyebrow and looks over to Chloe who, for the first time today, begins to blush. I back up and walk over to Victoria while Chloe whispers in Max's ear.

"oh...OH!" Max clears her throat and rubs her neck.

I stand in front of Victoria and look at her. She looks like she is about to cry and I hug her, pulling her close. I clear my throat and try to speak in a voice that is as close to normal as possible, which is hard. "Sorry Vic. I was just messing with you guys and I took it a little far..."

"It's okay. I'm sorry for this." Victoria shakes a little. "I'm just a shitty person who can't keep themselves under control..."

I sigh and pull back, looking at Victoria. I squeeze her shoulder and look back at Max and Chloe. I speak so that all of them can hear me now. "Sorry for being a home wrecker, I just get carried away sometimes..." I look down and walk past Victoria, going upstairs and walking into Chloe's room. I close the door behind me and walk over to the bed, falling onto it and I begin to cry.

 

_ **Chloe:** _

I sigh and shake my head.

_That woman has us all so wrapped around her little finger..._

I look over at Victoria as she sits down next to Max. Her hands are folded into her lap and she is looking at the floor. "I'm sorry..." Victoria tugs up on her sleeve again and runs her finger over one of her scars.

_She takes my hand and presses my finger against a deep, rough scar on her wrist. "This is when I made Max cry for the first time,"..._

And then another.

_"The time I heard Max crying in the shower",_

And then the worst one.

_she leads me over to the darkest, deepest scar of all. It goes parallel to her arm instead of across her wrists. "The time I found out Max cut herself."_

I watch as tears flow from Victoria eyes and I sigh, kneeling in front of her. I take her hands so that her wrists are pointed upwards. I look over at Max, who is watching with a small amount of fear as well as some morbid curiosity. I clear my throat. "Victoria, what's wrong."

"I...I feel dirty..." She sniffles and I feel her hands twitch. "I know that Kate was just...she was just messing with us...but I couldn't even keep my body from getting excited over it..." she sniffles again and I can feel her body begin to shake gently. "Guess I'm just a worthless..." Max puts her hand over Victoria's mouth before she can finish her thought.

"Baby," Max shakes her head and leans over, squeezing Victoria into a tight hug. "getting a little, excited...that's nothing to be ashamed of. You'd never be untrue to me and we all know it. I wouldn't do anything either." Max kisses Victoria's cheek. "Am I a little mad, yes I am. I'm not pleased with Kate right now, but that will pass soon. But you haven't done anything wrong.

Victoria sighs slowly and leans into Max. "If you say so..."

"Well I do, so fucking deal with it." Max squeezes Victoria again and closes her eye tight. "Chloe."

"Yeah Max." I let go of Victoria's wrists, but they stay where I held them.

"Would you go talk with your wife? If I go give her a piece of my mind it won't end well." Max's voice is cold and angry, but there is a little sadness mixed in with it.

"Yeah, sure thing." I stand up and sigh. "I'll keep her in my room. Let me know when you're not mad at her."

"I will." Max is mumbling into Victoria's shoulder, speaking through her teeth. I feel a tear of my own, stinging the back of my eye.

_How could on girl turn this into a complete shitshow..._

I walk up the stairs to deal with the fallout.

 

_ **Max:** _

I hear Chloe go up the stairs. A door opens and shut, then a moment of silence. I can hear Chloe yell. "Kate Marsh, you put that down this instant!" soon after I hear some loud footsteps and a few muffled, yet loud sobs.

_She turned this into a shitshow, but she gets it. Maybe she deserves karma giving her a bit of a kick in the ass..._

I sigh and shake my head. I finally open my eyes and keep one arm around Victoria. I let my free hand move down to her wrists. I slowly trace the scars with my finger, feeling Victoria shiver whenever I do. "Do you remember why you have any of these?"

Victoria scoffs. "Are you kidding me?! Every one of them is there for a reason." She shakes her head and looks back down. She takes hold of my finger, tracing if over one scar. "I was really pissed off at something and I was starting to realize how jelous I was getting of you. How much I wanted to be like you. I..." She looks up and stares at the wall, a few tears slowly trickling down her face. "I was ruthless in a way that I hadn't been before. I kept my composure outside, but I felt my heart begin to break as a few tears just barely made their way out of your eye. That was the first time I made you cry."

"Vic..." She presses her finger to my lips for a moment and then takes my finger, pressing it to another scar.

"I got wasted the night before because I was just feeling like shit. I'd always gone easy on you, but I was someone who just couldn't stop being an asshole if they wanted to. So I got up and went to the showers. I heard this... this soft whimpering. I knew it was you in an instant. I froze. I couldn't do anything and I listened harder. I could hear you mumbling to yourself. You were saying, 'Why, why is she doing this to me? I haven't done anything to her I don't get why she won't leave me alone!'...That was the first time I heard you crying in the shower..." I gulp and take a shuddering breath.

_All of this, over me... did she love me, even then? Is that why she acted so strongly after these events?_

She takes my finger off of that cut and gently moves it along the cut the follows parallel to her arm. Her hands shakes gently and I try and steel my nerves for what she might say. "I got absolutely shitfaced the night before and I was staying up late to do homework. I hadn't seen you for a while and it was really getting to me. No matter how shitty I treated you, I loved you and I needed you around. I couldn't stand not seeing you and I was starting to slip away. I felt alone wherever I went and no matter what I always felt this...this presence that would be watching me, judging me. Telling me I was a failure as a person, that I was worthless. I could barely take it anymore and the only thing that kept me getting up in the morning was the thought of seeing you again, even if you hated me and even it was from afar, I had to see you..." Her voice cuts off and I feel my nerve leaving me quickly. Victoria begins shaking and I squeeze her tighter with the arm that is around her. She places a hand on my hip and caresses it gently. "I went into the bathroom to try and freshen up. it was quarter past 3 in the morning. I figured everyone would be fast asleep for hours. So I walk in, and I see you staring into the mirror and shaking. You looked so feeble...you almost looked like a dead person who'd woken up and started walking. I look saw a razor in your hands and there were big red streaks along your hip. I ran back to my room and closed the door. I ripped the sheets off my bed and I rolled on the floor, screaming and sobbing into my sheets for hours. Before I knew it, the curtains were cutting off the sunlight and I had just given up. I found my razor and..." Victoria stops talking and blinks away some tears. "Not even a minute later Nathan was kicking my door in. He dragged my half dead ass over to the hospital and covered everything up for me. That fucker saved my life..."

I feel my heat skip a beat and my stomach churns.

_Nathan...The same person so drugged Kate, who used Jefferson's lessons as a weapon for violate, the same person who I considered killing with my bare hands, Nathan fucking Prescott. He saved my baby..._

I pull my finger away and take Victoria's hands. "Why the scars...?"

"I needed to make sure I remember what I'd done. To you, to Kate, to Chloe and Rachel. I'm a horrible person and even if today isn't an example of it, I feel like it's just the universe smacking me up side the head with a reminder that no matter where I am, something happens that keeps the people I care about from being happy..." She curls into herself and I lay down, pulling her close. She wraps around me and holds me close.

I take her hand and press it to my chest. "This, right here, this heart beat, it proves your wrong..." I kiss away the tears and then give her a long, loving kiss. "I am here. We love each other and I am here, I am in love with you, I am happy!" She closes her eyes and her breath steadies slowly. "I'll always be here for you, Victoria."

"Call me baby...?"

"Of course, baby." I kiss her forehead and I hear her sigh contently.

"Every time you call me that, it puts me at ease..." She nuzzles into my neck.

"Well I'll say it as much as you want. I'm always here to hold you, baby. Always."

 

_ **Chloe:** _

I lean my head against the door and I head a sob. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" I hear a thud after each word. I open the door to find Kate, kneeling on the bed, slamming her head into the wall. I close the door behind me and I clear my throat.

Kate reaches down and picks up my knife. I look at her and yell. " _ **"**_ Kate Marsh, you put that down this instant!" I walk over to her briskly and grab her by the wrist. She sobs loudly and drops the knife. I pick it up and throw it into the wall across the room. I grab a hold of Kate shoulders and stare into her eyes. "You son of a bitch, don't you dare fucking do that! What the hell Kate?! I get it, you fucked up. But this is _**NOT**_ the answer. You did something that I don't like and Max is pretty disappointed in you, but we all still care about you Kate! Why..." I feel my anger leave as fast as it came and it is replaced with fear. "Why did you want to do it..."

"Because I'm a fuck up. I've always have been and I always will be. I always try to be a good person on the outside but to those who I'm close to, I just let loose sometimes. I try my best to control it but sometimes I go too far. I fuck things up and they never get better. It's why I always hide, cause the real me is not worth being around. The real me doesn't deserve to be around." Kate looks over at the knife and I cup her cheeks, turning her to look at me. Her eyes are red and puffy, tears stream down her face.

"You are not worthless. You are an amazing, incredible person. You're a human being, so you make mistakes, sometimes even big ones. But you know what, anyone who is a real friend, they will forgive you. I forgave you before you even left the room and Max admitted that even though she was upset, she will forgive you pretty quickly herself. I need you Kate. No matter what happens, we can talk. You know that, right...?" Kate nods slowly and I sit next to her. She looks up at me and slowly leans against me. I let her and she relaxes a little.

"It just feels so hopeless sometimes. This weekend I have to go deal with the people who had be beaten half to death and I am freaking out inside, even when I seem calm. When I was flirting I felt better, it was fun to see I had that kind of effect on someone. That what I did really did matter somehow. And when I went too far, it reminded me that I just end up ruining everything I touch..." She takes one of my hands into both of hers. "I don't want to ruin our marriage Chloe. You mean so, so very much to me. My friendships with Max and Victoria are the only things that get close to mattering as much, but if you left me, I'd break..."

I nod and slowly squeeze her hand. "We're all broken, Katie." I pull her into a hug and squeeze her for dear life. "We're all broken, but sometimes we find that person who stays with us and helps us stay sane while we put ourselves back together." I hold Kate, letting her shake against me and cry gently.

 

_ **Kate:** _

Quite a while passes. I stay in Chloe's arms and just shake and cry. Eventually and lays back and I curl into the fetal position. I let her spoon with me until we hear a knock on the door. After a few seconds, the door slowly opens and there are some footsteps. I hear a small gasp and Chloe removes her arms from me. Her warmth leaves and I am left feeling almost alone, despite the distance between Chloe and I being undoubtedly nominal. "Hey." Max's voice is soft and sad.

"Hey..." My voice wavers and shakes like my body begins to.

The mattress sinks and I feel a hand on my shoulder. "Kate... I'm not going to sugar coat this: I'm upset that you went as far as you did. You know how easily you can embarrass Victoria and I. But, I'm not upset with you anymore. I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed." I feel my muscles spasm and I begin shaking harder.

"I see..." There is silence except for the sheets moving a little.

"Chloe, what's the deal with, yanno." I sigh and look at Max. She is pointing at the knife which Chloe threw into the wall.

_Huh, she's got good aim..._

"Kate kinda, fall apart. Didn't want her around it..." Chloe's voice is soft and sad. I can feel my heart beginning to break, seeing how much damage I've truly done.

_Well shit. Not gonna say this is my finest hour. Could have done worse, but I was still really shitty..._

Max looks back at me with a sad look. I glare back at her and look away. "I don't need your pity..."

"It's not pitty jackass, it's something called being a concerned friend." Max's voice is chiding, but it is also soft.

"Care about someone who doesn't fuck everything up..."

"Love, we already talked about this..." Chloe sounds like she is about to cry and I can swear there is a crack as my heart shatters.

"Even now, I'm just messing everything up. I'm hurting you guys and making you concerned..." I sigh and sit up, trying to stand up but falling flat on my face because of my body shaking so much. I hit my nose and my face feels warm. "Well shit..." I start to pick myself up when Chloe, calm and strong, picks me up and sets me back on the bed. She looks at me and pulls out a few tissues, wiping the blood away from my face. She takes my fingers and uses them to pinch the bridge of my nose.

"Hold it right there, okay? Let it clot." Chloe throws the tissues away and puts on some hand sanitizer. "Katie..."

"Yeah?" My voice sounds off due to my pinching my nose. I sigh and blink hard a few times. "I fucked up, I know. I tend to go into a spiral about things after something happens where I fucked up. I'm fine."

"Then why don't I believe you...?" Chloe asks, standing in front of me, waving her hands around a little.

"Because you're the most stubborn motherfuckers I've ever know." I chide her. "But admittedly I love that about you."

"Flattery will get you everywhere, but that doesn't apply in this situation. Answer me seriously Kate."

"Because I'm not totally okay. It take a while for the guilt to fade off into the background. By tomorrow I'll be fit as a fiddle and I'll be fine. But right now, and at least for another half hour or so, I'm going to be miserable but I'll hide it from you guys so I don't just bring everybody down." Chloe nods for a moment and sighs, going to her desk and pulling out a pair of hand cuffs. I raise an eyebrow but hold out my hands. She cuffs me and helps me stand up.

"I'm hiding all the sharp shit. Follow me." Chloe looks over at Max and smiles. "Well come on Maxipad, we're going on an adventure!"

Max shakes her head and gets up, grabbing the knife out of the wall. We head downstairs and Chloe walks me over to the couch. Victoria is on one half of the couch with her knees pulled up to her chest, sipping at some coke in a coffee cup. Chloe sets me down next to her. I sigh and look over to Chloe. "Is this all really necessary?"

I see someone put their hands over my eyes and everything goes dark."Yes. I don't want you to know where I'm hiding all of this stuff." I hear lots of clanging and crashing of different dishes. I feel someone sitting next to me. They take my hand and squeeze it.

"Hi..." I dead pan at them.

"Hey." Victoria whispers back at me. I take a deep breath and sigh, squeezing back at the hand.

"What's up, Vic?" I can hear my voice crack and I hear Max sighing as she leans against the couch behind me.

"Oh, nothing much. Just thinking about the presentation tomorrow." Victoria's voice sounds like she's thinking while she's talking to me.

"Am I still allowed to present with you guys...?" My voice sounds pretty pathetic but I'm past caring right now.

"Of course, Kate." Victoria sighs and there is a pause. "You know, I never really saw this side of you before. The vulnerable side."

"What do you mean? I acted vulnerable in front of you all the time."

"I mean, I have something to remind me of the first time you cried in front of me..."

_"...Victoria has different scars along her wrists and they are from different events that happened. The first time she made Max cry, the first time she made you cry..."_

Victoria sighs quietly. "...but yeah. I saw what you showed to everyone else. The Kate Marsh, Blackwell Angel. To us you were what you showed everyone. We never saw the real you. Now that you're showing the real you, I get to see you when you get really upset, for real."

I chuckle at Victoria's phrasing. "Yeah, I suppose so."

I nod gently and then I hear Chloe call off from the distance. "I'm done!" Max's hands move away from my face and I can see again. I stand up and sigh, watching Chloe come in from the garage. "Don't bother looking in the garage, I didn't put them there. I just wanted to throw you off."

I hold up my hands and smile. "I'll be okay with that if you free me from my bonds."

"Okay, but only the handcuffs, not our marital bonds." Chloe grins but I can tell she sees the hurt in my eyes because she comes over and kisses my forehead. "Sorry, I'm can be an asshole when I try to make jokes."

"Do you really think I'm the one who'd criticize you for that? It'd be the pot calling the kettle black." I give a sad smile and look back down at the handcuffs. "Hold on, are these what I think they are?!"

I look back up at Chloe and she shrugs. "Depends, what do you think they are." She winks at me and I blush a little. I feel the release and undo the handcuffs slowly. Chloe places her hands on my cheeks and I take the opportunity to cuff her. "Why you little-"

"Hey Chloe, we're ho-" Joyce stares at us. Victoria's face is still red and puffy from what must be crying and Chloe's wearing handcuffs. "I don't want to know..." Joyce just walks upstairs and we can hear the door close as she walks into her room.

"Welp, that was fucking awkward." Max chuckles.

"Yeah, it really was." Chloe smiles back at her. Chloe begins laughing to herself and I smile. I look over to Victoria and she is frowning. "What is it Vic?" Chloe 's smile fades a little as she speaks.

"Didn't your mom say 'we're home'...?" We all look at each other and realize Victoria's right.

"Hey girls, how's it-" David looks at us and we all look at him. "Please tell me those are your handcuffs Chloe."

"Yeah, they're mine."

"As in you bought them, you didn't take them out of your mother's room."

"Yeah, why the hell would I-" Chloe stops and her eyes widen. "Why would you keep your handcuffs in mom's room...?"

"You'll understand when you're older." He starts walking upstairs and I look around to see that we are all wearing a pink blush.

_Well then, that was different..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This started as a harmless fluff that was a little flirty. It took up about 7 lines. It just took a life of it's own and spiraled from there...
> 
> The next chapter will get back to the story at hand.
> 
> Until Next Time, Read On.


	14. Will the real miss Price please stand up?

Sunday went by without any more incidents. We all just hung out and watched TV. When it came time for dinner, Chloe did the honor and showed Victoria the ropes. Joyce happily let her daughter take charge and we ate a nice hardy meal of ham steak, boiled potatoes, and stuffing. There was enough for everyone to have a few chunks of ham steak, a few small potatoes, and a few spoonfuls of stuffing. As the night went by, I was able to get up and walk around for short periods of time all by myself. I was even able to climb the stairs on my own, but with lots of help from the railing. Chloe and I have been laying in bed for quite a while now and I have been thinking about things as she holds me.

_We've come quite a long way. We met quite a while ago through Max, but we only fell down the rabbit hole and fell for each other pretty recently. Look at us now, married and happy. We have good friends and even though I have lost my blood family, I have gained another one. A better one, one of my choosing._

I sigh happily and gently hit Chloe's leg with my foot. "Chloe?"

"Yeah, love?" She breathes out and I can feel her warm breath pooling around my neck.

"Are you happy that we got married?" There is silence for a few moments and I feel her tense up.

_Oh shit, I messed up. I upset her and now we're going to fight and this is going to ruin our night and things are going to get even more stressful..._

"Of course! I'm overjoyed that we got married!" I can hear that she is a bit offended and then her voice drops to a whisper, soft and vulnerable. "Aren't you...?"

I let out a sigh of relief and nod my head slowly. "Yes, I'm so very happy. I've just been thinking about things. About us... I know that we haven't had it super easy or super hard. We've had it somewhere in the middle. But I'm really glad that we have what we have."

"Yeah." Chloe echoes my sentiments and nuzzles her head against mine, placing her chin on my shoulder. She moves her hand along my stomach gently. "I just wish that some of our speed bumps were a bit less dangerous..."

"Me too." I move my hand to cover hers. Our fingers intertwine and we squeeze each other's hands. "But you know what, we're gonna deal with that soon."

Chloe hums contently and we fall into a calm silence. "I'm here for you, every step of the way."

"I know Chloe, I know..." I close my eyes and begin to feel myself being pulled into a deep, restful sleep.

\------------------------------------

When I wake up in the morning, I yawn and stretch gently, feeling Chloe's hand on my shoulder. "Baby, lets go."

"W-what?" I blink hard a few times until my vision clears up. "What's going on?"

"We let you sleep in but you need to come have some breakfast and then we're going to bring you to school. I already have your stuff in the truck, we just gotta get some food in your belly." She smiles at me as I stand up and begin to get dressed in some clothes that look presentable. I nod and begin walking to the stairs. Chloe stays close to me the entire time I'm going downstairs and walking to the table, but she lets me do things on my own. I see Max and Victoria already sitting there with Joyce. I take a seat and Chloe sits next to me. The two of us start putting things on our plate and dig in, finishing even before the others, despite their head start. When Chloe is done, she stands up and wipes her mouth on a paper napkin and sighs. "Alright folks, lets all board the freak express to Blackwell so I can get back before Monica sends out a search party."

"Monica?" Joyce looks over at Chloe and raises an eyebrow.

Chloe rubs the back of her neck and sighs. "She's my tutor."

"Don't worry Joyce." I stand up and shake my head. "Miss 'I-am-a-secret-college-student' here didn't tell me who this mystery woman was either."

"I said I was sorry!" Chloe threw up her hands and waved them around.

I just chuckle and smack her side. "And I might stop scolding you one day, but that's not today." I walk to the garage door until Chloe puts her hand on my shoulder.

"It's outside already." I follow Chloe outside and I climb into the cab of the pickup, buckling up and waiting for her to hop in. When she does, I press the button and music begins to pour into the car.

**Gimme fuel, gimme fire, gimme that which I desire!**

"Ahh, nice." I look over at Chloe as she back out, a broad smile plastered onto her face. "Tonight are you going to come over to the dorms?"

We begin driving down the road towards Blackwell, I can see in the rearview mirror that Max and Victoria are getting into Victoria's car. "If it's okay with you, I would like to take tonight to get some of my affairs in order." I look at her and raise an eyebrow. Chloe glances over and grins, shoving my shoulder gentle. "Not that kind of affair, Katie." She sighs and shakes her head. "I just want to get some of my life together. I have some plans and Ideas but I need some time to get them in motion."

"I get it. I'll only be a text or phone call away."

"Thank you." I nod and smile, looking over at Chloe, seeing her smile.

"I'm so lucky to have found someone to spend my life with..."

As Chloe turns the corner and pulls into a parking space, she turns to me and pulls me into a kiss, short and sweet. "I am too. Good luck today Katie, I love you."

"I love you too." I sigh happily as she gets out or the driver's seat, walking around the back and pulling out the wheelchair. She opens my door and helps me into it, closing my door and pushing me along. She pushes my up the grassy incline and up to the front door. As we reach the fountain outside the front door, I see that there is a new ramp coming off the side of the steps. As Chloe rolls up, there is Samuel sweeping it with a broom. "Good morning, Samuel."

"Good morning Kate. Chloe. It is a good morning." He smiles at us and steps down, clearing the way for us.

"I didn't know the school had any money left in the handicap fund." Chloe speaks up, her voice has a sad note to it.

"We didn't, but..." Samuel looks around and I follow his gaze. We are the only people on campus that are near the door. The closest people to us are half way to the dorm building. "Mister Madsen came to me and told me that he already had the supplies and that he wanted my help with putting in some handicap accessible ramps. I agreed and they're hardened up just in time to be used for school today." He smiles at us and I chuckle. "I hope you two have good days."

"Thank you Samuel, you too."

"Yeah, nice day and such." Chloe pushes me up to the door and holds them open for me as I roll myself in. I roll forward and stop inside, just off to the side of the door. "Well, I'll text you later, Katie." Chloe gives me a hug and discretly kisses my cheek.

"Talk to you later." I smile at her we part ways. Just as Chloe walks out the door, I feel a hand on my shoulder. I look up to see the secretary. "Hi Miss Philips."

"Hello Kate. There is an envelope that came in the mail for you today." I nod and follow her into her office. She closes the door and walks over to her desk. "So, what happened?"

"Oh," I look down at the wheel chair and sigh. "I got attacked on my way to my dorms. I had to go to the hospital and they told me to not stress myself out so I'm giving myself some time to heal." She nods and comes back from behind her desk, handing me and envelope. I open it up and smile at it's contents.

_Well, I'm officially Kate Price._

I look over to her and I chuckle to myself. "I think that I might have to fill out a little paperwork."

"Why's that?" She looks up from the memo that she is reading, moving marking her place with her pencil. I hand her the paperwork from the envelope and she looks it over, smiling as she reads it. "I see. Well, let's get this underway."

\------------------------

When it is time for lunch, I just roll myself out to the common area in front of the main building. I watch as everyone comes and goes, enjoying the sight of regular life. I take my wedding ring out of my pocket, sliding it onto my finger and running my thumb along it as I rest my hands in my lap. My phone buzzes and I pull it out, seeing a new message from Chloe.

**Wife: So, what's up cutie.**

**Me: Nothing much. It's just lunch so I rolled out and I'm sitting on the front lawn. How's it going with your college experience?**

**Wife: Not too bad. I'm taking a short break for some sandwiches and then it's back to the daily grind. I'm trying to get as much work done as possible so that I can have some more free time later on in the year.**

**Me: Good idea. Keep up the good work. Love you.**

**Wife: : Love you too, Kaite.**

Lunch is almost over and so I slip my phone back into my pocket, smiling to myself as I make my way back inside.

\--------------------------

As I roll into photography, I am smiling to myself. I come in to see Max and Victoria at the front of the classroom, talking to Mister Jefferson. Everyone else is chatting amongst themselves and I can't help but take a moment to take in the scene before I continue forward. As I roll over to Max's side, Mister Jefferson looks over to me and smiles. "Good Afternoon, Kate. How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling pretty good, thank you." I smile at him and he nods, moving back to his desk and taking out a cup, pouring in some cream soda. He takes a sip and sighs.

"Alright class!" He sits in his chair and nods over to Max. "The three musketeers here are going to show us what they've come up with. I expect you **all** to give them the respect and attention that they deserve as presenters." He shoots Courtney and Taylor a glare which they return. He takes another sip and then looks back to us, smiling. "The floor is all yours, ladies." He leans back and Max sets up our presentation.

\-------------------

_It's okay, you got this. All you have to do, is explain the photos..._

I take a deep breath and open my mouth, hearing the PA system crackle to life, disturbing the silence of the room. "Would Miss Price immediately report to the office, Miss Price to the office." I look over at the speaker and then at Max. She opens the door for me and I begin to roll myself down the hall. I push the wheels nervously and I make my way down the hall.

_Why did they say "immediately". Just come to the office would be fine unless it was an emergency. What would be an emergency... wait, what if something happened to Chloe?!_

I push the wheels harder and I can feel my stomach churning painfully inside me. I feel myself begin to shake and I keep pushing, taking the corner to the office a little sharper than I should have. As the squeal of the wheels moving along the floor sideways echoes through the hall, I see David walk out of the office. He looks at me with a grim and angry expression. "Kate, please come inside." He motions for me to enter the office and I try to keep myself from throwing up.

_Someone needs to tell me what is going on before I explode..._

I turn the corner and my heart stops. The world around me begins to fade away and I feel a sharp pain in my chest.

"Katharine." The voice is cold, making chills go down my spine.

"Mother..." The venom in my voice sounds foreign to me, but as I feel the seething hatred building in my gut. The warmth inside me from the hate clashes with the chills still running up and down my spine.

She stands up, a scowl on her face and death in her eyes. "You're coming with me."

"No." I grip the wheels on my wheel chair and I feel my palms begin to sting.

"Excuse me?!" She glares at me and I can feel the tension begin to rise.

"I said no, mother." I grit my teeth and I hear a vehicle outside, driving up to the school. I see, out of the corner of my eye, Chloe's truck driving along and pulling into the little street that leads to the dorms. I return my focus back to my mother, feeling her gaze cut me to the bone.

"Now you listen here young lady, you are coming with me weather you like it or not!" She takes a few steps closer and I roll back a few feet.

"You can't make me. I'm an adult. You don't have that control over me anymore." I see Chloe leap up and jump over the steps outside, coming through the doors and panting heavily.

"Why you ungrateful little bitch!" My mother takes a few more steps outside and the bell rings, dismissing classes. "You damned...!"

In a flash, Chloe is standing between me and my mother, in her face. "I suggest you back off before things get ugly." Her hands are in tight fists and the color is noticeably missing from them. I hear lockers being open and shut from down the hall. I back up a few more feet and look over at the hallway where most of my classes are. I see Max and Victoria, rounding the corner, looking worried as they take in the scene. They come to my side and stand slightly ahead of me. A few students pass by as my mother stares at Chloe with a dark, hateful expression.

"You have no business with my daughter and I." She tries to side step Chloe, but Chloe moves with her.

"You will come to find that it is my business, but that's not going to happen right now. Right now, we're going to leave, and you're going to let us leave. We'll stop by for a good ol' visit when we feel like dealing with you." Chloe's voice has a much venom as mine did, but her stance is imposing and causes even me to freeze up for a moment.

"You get out of my way this instant girl. I'm bringing my daughter with me no matter what you people say." She tries to push Chloe out of her way but it is a futile effort.

"Over my dead body..." Chloe hisses at her between her grit teeth and I see David finally stand beside her with his arms crossed.

"Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." David's words are respectful, but his tone is annoyed and his face has an aura of darkness to it. My mother stares at him with disbelief and David just sighs. "I won't ask you again ma'am."

My mother huffs and storms out, the door swinging closed behind her. Chloe comes over and grabs onto the handles of my wheelchair, pushing me towards the door. Max and Victoria follow behind us while David holds the door for us. We go outside and down the ramp, finding a spot on the front lawn that is fairly desolate and David turns to us, his expression the same as (if not slightly softer than) before. "Why was she here?" My voice comes out as a little wavering thing.

"She said that she needed to discuss pulling you out of Blackwell. She said that you should be present." I laugh bitterly and shake my head. "And that's funny because?"

"Because I'm a scholarship student. She doesn't pay for shit besides my room and meals. Besides, I'm an adult. She doesn't have the authority as a legal guardian to do anything let alone pull me out of college." I look over at Max and Victoria who are just staring at David.

Chloe sighs and moves so I can see her. "You do know that she can still take away payment for room and meals. You could be left out to dry."

"I know. But I don't mind sleeping on a park bench if it means I'm free of that woman. She's been trying to control my life ever since I was conceived."

"You know," David chimes in, causing us all to look at him. "You're part of the family Kate. There's always room over with Chloe and Joyce. But what really concerns me right now is what just went down. You got beaten up pretty badly and it was because of your family. Now they are coming after you in person. Regardless of how you deal with it, you need to deal with it really damn soon."

I nod slowly. "Your right." I look over at Chloe. "I was going to wait until Saturday, but I think that I need to go over there tonight. Besides, if they try to kill me I'll need more than a weekend to recover from it."

"Not it I can help it. I'm still coming with you." Chloe looks over at Max and Victoria. "You guys don't have to come along if you have stuff to do."

"No, we're coming along." Max says firmly. "Isn't Joyce home from work today?"

"Yeah, it's her day off." Chloe nods. "I'll give her a call. I'll borrow my friends minivan and I'll drive us all over."

David clears his throat and we all look over at him. "If you're all going over there, I'd like to tag along. I don't really feel like that's a safe place to be."

Chloe smiles at him and chuckles. "The more the merrier."

David nods and sighs. "I'll pick up Joyce and meet you four over there. Don't go inside without us."

"Yessir" Chloe gives him a salute and her grins, shaking his head and walking off towards the parking lot. As David walks away, she pulls out her phone and hits a few buttons. I can hear it faintly ringing and Chloe starts towards the dorms, waving for us to follow. "Yo Steph, It's me...I need a favor...I need the minivan for a few hours...Meet me outside the dorms with the key...yeah, tell him I say hi." She hangs up and looks over to Max, who's pushing me along. "I put the bed cap on the truck, so you guys should throw the wheelchair in the back and I'll lock it up. Then go to the parking lot and I'll meet you there." I stand up and help Max fold up the wheelchair. We throw it in the back of Chloe's truck and she locks it up, running to the dorms.

Max lets me lean against her as she holds Victoria's hand and we make our way to the parking lot. "Well guys, this is it..." They nod at me and we just walk in silence. We get a few looks from the other students, but we ignore them and make it to the parking lot. As we step onto the asphalt, we hear running behind us and I turn to see Chloe, sprinting towards us. She comes to a stop right next to us and looks around, finally moving down the row of cars. We follow her and she stops next to a minivan, pulling out a set of keys with a 6 sided die hanging off of it. She unlocks the doors and hops in. I walk around front as Max and Victoria get into the back. I get in and close my door, buckling up as we drive down the road.

_Well, so much for having a week to prepare for this._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been trying to get my stuff together as far as my writing is concerned and try to get some buffer for the times that I can't sit down for 3 to 5 hours and write a chapter. I have a few different stories that I want to write, but I am already so busy trying (and kinda failing) to update my current ones that I just have to keep those ideas on ice. I'm probably going to close up a few of the stories at some point before spring.
> 
> Until Next Time, Read On.


	15. The Snake in the Garden

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My laptop will be getting fixed sometime soon, so when it does I will have regular, higher quality updates. thank you all for being so patient and coming back to this story.

I give Chloe the directions to my house and when we arrive, Joyce and David are already sitting in their can in the driveway. Chloe pulls up near them and parks, letting out a sigh and shaking her head. She lets it fall onto the steering wheel with a thump. I put my hand on her shoulder and she leans into her gently, breathing deeply. I hit the button to unlock the door. Max and Victoria get out and go stand next to Joyce and David. I rub Chloe's back and she shivers slightly. "Did she hurt you before I got there?"

"No, you got there just as things were getting rough."

"Well good." Chloe pulls back and sighs, looking down for a moment and then she looks into my eyes. "So miss Price, are you ready for this?"

"Hella ready." I smile and she leans in, giving me a tender and loving kiss. I feel her relax as our lips touch and, when she pulls away, I quickly nip at her lip. "Let's rock and roll, babe." I hop out and hold onto my gut ever so slightly. I close the door and begin walking towards Joyce and David. "Okay, this is how it's gonna go down. I'm gonna knock on the door and then you guys will back me up. Chloe isn't leaving my side and if things get bad we are all leaving and calling the authorities if necessary. Nobody do anything stupid and don't try and fight them too much. What they did was messed up, but there has to be at least one of them that can see my side. They're still my family..."

They all nod and I begin to lead the way. Chloe walks directly behind me followed close by Max and Victoria, with Joyce and David behind them. I reach the door, knocking on it hard several times. There are loud stomps from somewhere beyond the door and then there is silence. After a moment, the door slowly opens, my father looking at me with a sad look. "Katie..." his voice catches and he pulls me into a hug, sobbing silently. I rub his back and he soon calms down enough to talk again. "I didn't know you were hurt. If I had known I would have been there!"

"I know dad, I know." I pull back and sigh. "I think we need a family meeting and I have some people that need to come in with me." He nods and waves us in. I slowly begin to follow him, everyone else being visibly tense.

\--------------------

I keep tapping my foot against the floor as I sit there waiting. I am on the couch with Chloe to my right, Max and Victoria to my left, and Joyce and David behind the couch. My father is standing and leaning against the wall. My mother is sitting in her recliner and her sister was in another seat. My two sisters sit on the staircase near by, their heads poking out from between the railings. "I have called a family meeting because Katharine feels like she needs to talk with us."

My aunt sneers and looks away. "I have nothing to say to this delinquent that brings shame to this family."

"Maggie..." My father tries to speak but my mother jumps into the conversation.

"This... ** _thing_** " She point to Chloe with disgust written clearly on her face. "Is poisoning our daughter. First she dresses like a delinquent and now she is acting like a damned homosexual! Before we know it, she'll be doing drugs and sleeping with strangers! Then she'll be worshipping the devil if she hasn't started already!" She stands up and sticks he finger in my face. "You need to repent before you're soul cannot be saved anymore!"

I feel Chloe tense up besides me and I stand up, looking my mother in the eyes. "No. There's nothing wrong with me and I'm not changing for you. I'm a grown woman and I can make my own decision-" Before I can react she's back handed me and my cheek stings. Chloe gets up to defend me but I put my arm out and stop her, shooting her a glare. She sits down again and I look back to my mother. "You know what? Hit me. It doesn't matter. I'm as queer as a three dollar bill. You can't change the fact that I'm gay no matter how hard you try." I point to Chloe and make a fist with my other hand. "I'm in love with her and you can't change that."

There is dead silence and I can see my sisters looking at each other with shock. My father's face is empty of emotion, which is the antithesis of the disgust that contorts my aunt's face. "You don't know what love is. You're just a damn worthless whore!"

Chloe stands up and moves forward as far as I let her before my arm stops her. "I'm only going to tell you once: Don't talk to my wife that way." I hear my sisters gasp and my aunt scoffs, joining my mother in my face.

"You two aren't married, you just have your name on a paper. This is a sin against the lord and a violation of the laws of nature! you are nothing." She spits on me and I wipe away her spit. I hear Chloe growling and I grab her fist before she does anything violent.

_I can't have that, not yet. I need to at least try to do this peacefully, even if they don't make it easy..._

"I'm not here to listen to you two snakes in the garden hiss at me about things you don't understand. I'm here to tell my sisters and my father; the people in this room that I share blood with who are really family." I motion behind me. "The people behind me and to the sides are family. You two are just pains in my ass." I hear footsteps and my mother raises her hand, ready to hit me again.

In a flash, Chloe pushes me back, taking my place. As my mother's hand begins to swing at her face, a hand grips my mother's wrist. "Jane!" My father's voice booms, filling the room with a sense of dread. "Don't you hit either of those young ladies."

My mother whirls around and gets in his face, screaming. "You son-of-a-bitch! This heathen sinner is in our presence and you dare embrace it like it was any God fearing person?! What is wrong with you?!"

"She is our daughter! You birthed her and helped raise her, and now you decide to turn your back on her because she is different?! Because she found someone who's made her happy? You've always been a heartless bitch but even for you this is a new low!' I look over and see my sisters shaking. I walk over to the stairs and sit a few steps down from them, looking up. They slowly move down and look at me.

Lynn hugs me tight and whispers in my ear. "I'll always love you sis, no matter what mom does."

"Thank you." I whisper back to her and my aunt begins stomping over to us.

"You bastard children! Get away from that thing!"

"Fuck off, Maggie. They have a right to be around their sister." I shoot her a death glare and she comes at us. I stand up and walk towards her. I hear Lynn and Jesse rush up the stairs. I come face to face with Maggie and she goes to slap me. I turn my cheek as she slaps me, her hand scrapping along my nose. "I'm done talking to you two, why don't you go away and stop trying to control **my** life!" I shove Maggie and she stumbles backwards, taken aback by what just happened.

"You ungrateful spawn of Lucifer himself, I should have let that boy kill you!" I see Chloe's face becoming beat red as my father's face drains of color.

"What boy, Jane?" My father's voice is cold, with a deep sting in it.

"The boy who put me in the hospital. The one who beat me to the point that I couldn't stand up on my own. I've been rolling around in a wheel chair for the last few days because walking more than a few feet would be too much! Not a full week after I got married I was laying in a hospital bed, unable to move my head without wincing in pain!" I get on a roll and I end up yelling the last sentence. By now, Max and Victoria were standing up at the edge of the room near the door, no doubt ready to play get away driver. I see David standing by Chloe's side and Joyce is behind me.

"Get out of my house!" My father roars.

I look at my father and my heart cracks. "Dad?!"

"I wasn't talking to you, Kate." He speaks through a clenched jaw and I see the smile on my mother's face fade. "I was talking to your aunt and your mother."

"You can't talk to me like that in our house!"

"First of all this is **my** damn house and second of all I just did! You brought harm to Kate. Not only your flesh and blood, but your own child! This house is where my family is supposed to be safe and happy and you, of all people, are the one who is putting that in jeopardy." My father crosses his arms and looks at the two of them. "I see how it is then. Kate, I'll give you first dibs on kicking your mother out the front door." He smiles over at me, his face still flush from anger.

"You bastards! All of you will burn in hell, your fucking bastards!" Maggie grabs my mothers shoulders and they stomp out of the house, the door shutting behind them.

My father flops down into a chair and puts his head in his hands. "My deepest apologies to all of you. I was unaware of their deeds."

Joyce goes to stand beside David and Chloe walks quickly makes her way over to me, looing at my cheeks where I was slapped. "Are you okay?"

"Yes love, I'm fine." I hold her by the waist and she kisses each of my cheeks. I hear someone clear their throat and I look to find Victoria, standing near my father. He's looking over at us, a sad look on his face. I take Chloe by the hand and lead her over to my father. "Dad, this is Chloe. My wife."

He smiles and nods. "It's nice to meet you Chloe. The circumstances are not the best, but I'm glad that my daughter found someone she loves." He holds out his hand and Chloe takes it, shaking it firmly.

"Nice to meet you too, Mister Marsh."

I smile and sigh. "I'll go get Lynn and Jesse. Then we can have a civil conversation." My father nods and I being to walk upstairs, looking for my sisters.

_Worse than I though and yet so much better at the same time. I just hope that the excitement is done for the evening._

I find my sisters door and knock on it three times.

_Knock on wood..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Until Next Time, Read On.


	16. We are a family (Part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small note: In this chapter, underlined dialogue means that it's being spoken in a different language even though I'm writing it in English.

I hear a muffled whimper as I open the door. I look around, but I can't see anyone. I think for a moment and see the closet. "Lynn, Jesse... It's Katie. Mom and Aunt Maggie are gone now." I hear a squeak and the closet door opens a crack. I can see an eye looking back at me and I smile. The door opens and Lynn comes out, running over to hug me. My side is already aching horrible, but I just grin and bear it as Jesse comes over and carefully hugs me as well. I can hear Lynn sniffling and I rub her back. "Lynn, you're almost 14, you're a big girl now. You gotta be strong, okay?"

"I don't know if I can Katie..." She sobs and I sigh.

"It's okay. I'm here for you guys." I kiss her forehead and look over at Jesse, who's pulled back and is looking at me. "So, how's my favorite 12 year old sister doing?" I try my best to smile at her through the pain.

"I'm okay..." I pat her shoulder and look between the two of them.

"Listen you two, I know that it's rough with mom and dad fighting, but you have to understand that this isn't your fault. None of this is because of you. And no matter what, I'll always love you guys and I know that dad will too."

"But what about mommy..." Jesse's voice is so sad and broken that I can feel my resolve leaving me.

_I need to be strong for them, I need to be strong..._

"Mommy too. Even if she does bad things and hurts us, mommy still loves us."

"If she loves us, why does she hurt us?"

"I don't know Jess, but that's who mommy is. She's a bad person." I sigh and look down. "Hey, why don't you two head downstairs and tell dad I'll be there in a minute." they nod and Jesse walks out first, Lynn hugging me again before she leaves.

As she is pulling away, she whispers into my ear. "We'll always love you, Kate. You're always going to my our sister." She looks at me as she leaves the room, a sad smile on her face. As I hear them walking down stairs, I can hear Chloe's voice and then I can hear footsteps approaching me.

 

_ **Chloe (earlier):** _

_I'm going to rip her fucking head off and use it to beat her fucking sister to death with...._

I get up in her face and stop myself from reaching for the knife in my boot. "I'm only going to tell you once: Don't talk to my wife that way." I feel my blood boiling and all the words that are being spoken just turn into muffled tones of sound. The aunt gets in Kate's face and spits on her. I feel a growl working it's way from my throat and I am about to throw myself at her, until Kate grabs onto my fist.

_Let go Katie! Let go and let me beat them into the ground!_

My heat beats violently to that point that my head is pounding and the pain just makes me angrier. Kate's mother raises her hand to hit her and I feel myself beginning to act before I can think what to do. I push Kate back and I take her place, ready for the hand to hit me.

_Give Kate a reason to let me beat your ass unconscious, just do it!_

"JANE! Don't you hit either of those young ladies!"

_FUCK!_

I grind my teeth as the husband and wife argue. Kate walks to her sisters and hugs one of them, until her aunt comes over. "You bastard children! Get away from that thing!"

"Fuck off, Maggie. They have a right to be around their sister." Kate shoots her a death glare and her aunt goes closer. Kate stands up and walks towards her as Lynn and Jesse rush up the stairs. Her aunt slaps her and then Kate yells back at her. "I'm done talking to you two, why don't you go away and stop trying to control **my** life!" She shoves her aunt, who stumbles backwards.

"You ungrateful spawn of Lucifer himself, I should have let that boy kill you!" I clench my fists harder and what little blood that wasn't in my face goes there.

_I probably look like one of those cartoon characters that is about to explode. If this keeps going and I can't knock the shit out of them I will..._

\-----------------------------

After Kate goes upstairs after her sisters, I sigh and sit down next to Mister Marsh. Max and Victoria are sitting with Joyce and David on the other couch and I run my hands through my hair, taking deep breaths. "You seem a wee bit angry." I look over at the man, really noticing his Irish accent for the first time.

"You might say that..." I rub my forehead and look down. "I just wish it didn't turn out like this."

The man sighs and gets up off the couch. "Me neither." He walks over to a picture and takes it down, reveling a wall safe. He enters in the combination and takes out a bottle of whisky. "Would anyone like a glass?" He looks at us and both David and I raise out hands. He raises and eyebrow but comes back with 3 glasses and the bottle. He sets them down and pours 2 full glasses and a half of a glass. I take a full glass, David takes half of one, and Mister Marsh downs most of his glass as he picks it up. David and I look at each other, nodding a little.

_Well, leave it to an Irishman to handle his whisky._

I take a few sips, sighing. I look down at my ring and smile to myself. "Well folks, I know that this isn't the most pressing questions on everyone's minds, but are ya hungry at all? I was told that Katie would be stopping by with some friends and so I put on some meat and potatoes. They're sitting in the kitchen if yer hungry."

Max looks over at Joyce and then to Victoria. "Well, I don't think any of us have eaten since lunchtime. I'm up for food." There are nods all around.

As I finish off my glass, I hear footsteps and Lynn and Jesse walk down the stairs. They walk over to their dad and Lynn speaks first. "Katie said to tell you she'll be down soon."

I clear my throat and Lynn looks over at me, curiosity on her face. "Hey, where is Katie?"

She looks over to her father, who nods. "She's upstairs in my room, it's the one with the open door."

I nod and smile at her warmly. I get up and look back at them. "Thank you." I look over at Max and the rest. "You guys can dig in, I'll be back with Kate." I hear them shuffling into the kitchen as I head upstairs. I find the room that has the open door and I walk over, peaking my head in. I hear her muffled sobs before I even reach the door. She is on her knees, hugging herself. Her eyes are red and she has a hand over her mouth. "Baby..." She looks up at me and my heart breaks.

_No one is ever treating her like that again. Not while my heart is still beating..._

I walk over and kneel beside her. She clings to me, her nails digging into my shoulders as she buries her face in my neck and begins sobbing. I rub her back and just hold her for a few minutes. I can hear drawers opening and closing downstairs, as well as some chatter. I can't make out the words, but the attitude is warm and comforting. Eventually, Kate pulls back, panting quietly. "it...hurts..."

"What does, what hurts baby?" I look her over and I can feel the panic setting in.

"MY...!" She squeezes her eyes shut and shudders. "My sides!"

"Okay, arms around my neck." She wraps her arms around my neck and I scoop her up. "Do you want to go somewhere? Home? The hospital?"

She shakes her head gently as I carry her towards the stairs. "No..." Her voice is so fragile and quiet. "I just need to take it easy. You okay?"

"Of course." I begin walking down the stairs. Everyone looks at us with concern as I carefully set Kate down in one of two empty chairs that are setup next to the coffee table. "I'm gonna grab us some food and I'll be right back, okay?" I look at Kate and her lip trembles for a moment, but then she nods, her jaw clenching. I kiss her forehead and rub her shoulder. "I'll be right back, I promise." She smiles weakly at me as I walk to the kitchen.

 

_ **Kate (Present):** _

I grind my teeth as Chloe walks into the kitchen. I can see all the concerned looks of those around me and I curse myself for not taking my medication before I came here.

_This pain really sucks..._

"Kate, what's wrong?" My father's voice is soft and full of concern. I smile at him and take a deep breath.

"This is the most that I've been out of the wheel chair at any given time... the pain is really kicking in..." I look over and see the whisky on the table.

_Well, at least it's capped and there are several glasses. He's not bingeing or anything..._

I hear some rattling and I look up to see Max standing over me, holding a bottle. "One pill or two."

"Two..." I blow air out of my nose and Max drops a few pills out of the nearly empty bottle. She hands them two me and I take them. Chloe comes back with food and hands me a glass of water. I wash down the pills as Chloe sits beside me and I smile. "Thanks Max."

"No problem. I've been carrying a few with me since you got out of the hospital." Max goes and sits next to Victoria, resting her head on the girl's shoulder.

"I assume that someone helped you get ahold of my medication." I look over at Chloe and she nods. "Well thanks." I close my eyes and sigh. When I open my eyes, Chloe's holding my hand and our fingers are intertwining. She's handing my the fork and I take it. She hold the plate between us and I poke one of the pieces of meat with the fork, eating it and then putting the fork down on the plate. Chloe sets the plate in her lap and starts to eat. I look around and see the couples enjoying each others company and my sisters looking at me with some concern. "So..."

"Kate, are you two really married?" Jesse is sitting there, fidgeting with her hands. I see dad pour himself a glass and he looks over at Chloe, who nods. He fills up two glasses and slides one across the table.

"Yes, we're really married, Jesse." I watch as Chloe puts the food down and she takes the glass, taking a drink from it. I squeeze her hand and she looks over at me. I raise and eyebrow and she shrugs, taking another sip. She squeezes my hand back and I look back at Jesse and Lynn.

"Isn't being gay bad? It's what mommy always said?" Jesse had her head tilted and her arms crossed, like she was interrogating me.

_At least if I was being interrogated I could stop pretending to be so damn calm when I'm NOT!_

Before I can say anything, Chloe speaks up. "Jesse, Your sister and I love each other. Even though your mommy told you that two girls can't love each other, it's not true. Adults don't know everything and sometimes they make mistakes." Her voice is calm and sweet. I nod when Jesse and Lynn look at me and I can't help but really smile for the first time in a while.

"Chloe's right. Mom didn't like other women and she didn't understand that it's okay."

"Is mommy still a bad person?" Jesse is looking at the floor, a sad look on her face. My father looks at me with a sad face as he downs the rest of his whisky, pouring another glass. I see looks from the rest of them ranging from surprise to annoyance.

"Yes, Jesse."

Chloe sighs and shakes her head, speaking in French. "Kate, you can't just start telling them that your mother is a bad person."

"And why the hell not?!" I let go of her hand and take her glass from her hand, slamming it onto the table. "Who are you to tell me what to do?! You're mother loves and cares about you! I never had that! I had to live knowing that if my mother know what I was, I would be ripped apart and thrown out on my ass!" I stand up and wave my hands around. "I'm looking out for my sisters and it doesn't fucking matter if you agree with me or not!"

"Kate, sit down and calm yourself." I cringe at Joyce's voice and look back at her, seeing the alarm in her eyes. I frown and sit down. I can see that my sisters are confused, as well as David.

_Well, Dad knows French, I think Victoria does. Max speaks Spanish, so she might understand some of it._

I sigh and rest my elbows on my knees, putting my head in my hands. "I'll tell them whatever keeps them safe, weather it's true or not. They don't understand what's happening and the only way they'll get it is if I demonize mom. They only understand good and bad..."

My father sighs and nods. "Girls." He looks over at Lynn and Jesse. "We were just talking about things, and we agreed that you should spend some time sleeping over with your sister. She's going to help you understand things better and you guys can hang out like you used to."

"Why was Kate yelling?" Lynn looks over at dad and I can feel the guilt setting into my gut.

_Because I'm falling apart..._

"Because she was trying to convince us. You know how passionate your sister can be. Besides, French is a language of passion. You have to speak it with conviction. Isn't that right Katie?" I nod. "I disagree with your approach, but it's what must be done. Take care of them and make sure to be strong for them. I know it might not be fair, but I can't cover your ass forever." I nod and smile as my dad speaks his words 'with passion', pretending that he is saying something happy.

"Why don't you two pack up after your finished with your food." I smile at them and they nod, taking their last few bites and then running upstairs. I look over at my father and my false smile disappears.

"You can't coddle them forever, Katie."

"I'm not _coddling_ them dad, I'm only keeping them from turning into bigots like their mother."

"You're turning them against flesh and blood."

"Yes, I am. The same flesh and blood that hit me and screamed at me and **hates** me. Because I found someone that keeps my happy. Chloe balances me, dad. It's her fault I'm still alive..." my voice is bitter and I can see the shock on their faces, as well as the sadness in Chloe's face. "I was gonna hang myself. I was fucking sick of everything! And then this fool had to come and turn my life around..." I find myself smiling, despite the tears flowing down my cheeks. Chloe puts her arm around me and I rest my head on her shoulder. "I don't know how much longer I can pretend to be strong about this stuff."

My father nods and we hear footsteps upstairs. "It's okay Katie, I understand. Just don't let them see it." He takes a swig from the bottle and sighs, looking at the wall with his wedding pictures on it. "I always knew she was bad. I just never wanted to see it..." My sisters come down the stairs, holding their bags. "Well, I should get to cleaning and figuring things out. You folks should head home. Just remember to stay safe." He looks at me for the last part and I nod back. "And remember, don't be a stranger." He hugs me and my sisters. "Love you, girls." When we step back he walks over to Chloe, holding out his hand. "It's nice to meet you." He sighs, looking at the ceiling for a moment. "Take care of Katie, Chloe. I'm not going to attend my daughter's funeral." They shake hands firmly and Chloe pats his shoulder.

"Take care of yourself too. I've always wanted to outdrink an Irishman."

He smiles at that and his laughter fills the room. "In your dreams Chloe."

We all move out to our vehicles. Chloe and I sit in the back because neither of us is in shape to drive. Instead, Victoria is the one at the wheel (Max still being in crutches) driving us to the Blackwell dorms. When we get to the dorms, I sigh. "Hey girls, why don't you go with Max and Victoria for a little while. I have to talk with Chloe."

"Okay" They chime back in unison.

"Take your time guys, we'll let them watch some Netflix with us." Max gives Chloe and I a hug, turning around to lead my sisters to Victoria's room.

When we are back in my room, Chloe looks over at me and sighs. "If you want to try and be romantic I don't think this is the time, Kate."

"Relax, Lynn and Jesse are with Max and Vic." I sit down on my bed and sigh. "Besides, I just need to fall apart without anyone else but you around." Chloe nods and we get undressed, climbing under the sheets. She lays down and I rest my head over her heart, clinging to her and finally just falling to pieces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've come a long way. As of before my publishing of this I have almost 205,000 words written over all my works, my works have 49 book marks, and I have 83 subscriptions between all my works. This is amazing for me. In about a week, I'll be getting my computer fixed and I am going to take time to get updates for each and every one of my works over the course of a week from getting my computer back. After it's up and running, you'll see updates more regularly.
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading my work and I hope that you keep enjoying it. If you were here before my computer crashed, thank you for coming back after I started putting out updates again.
> 
> Until Next Time, Read On.


	17. You...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I suggest listening to the song this chapter is named after: Keaton Henson - You
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxQLNxFA1Mg

I sob. I let out every tear I have inside and then some, digging deep down to let it all out. I shake and sob and dig my fingers into Chloe's shoulders, letting myself break down.

I sob until my throat hurts. I cry until I cannot cry any longer. I shake until my muscles are numb. Eventually, I just relax into Chloe and feel safe in her arms. I can hear a muffled laugh from next door as Chloe places her hand on my cheek. She kisses my forehead and I close my eyes, feeling my chest begin to cave in. "You know what is different between us?" The silence that I've just broken threatens to slowly consume us again, breaking me down as it goes.

"What is that, Love?" Chloe runs a hand through my hair.

"You are hot and I am calm..."

Chloe shifts gently and moves down to look into my eyes. "How so, Katie?"

"You're hot, like fire. You have these vibrant, consuming emotions. You are passionate and wild and you destroy anything that dare stand in your way." I take a shuddering breath, blinking away some moisture in my eyes. "I'm calm, like a cold stream. I bury who I am, what I feel. I lock it away and throw away the key, letting it build up and tear me apart from the inside. I try to be good and I try to be nice and I can do it from time to time. But when I can, I just have this torrent of emotion that I have inside trying to get out!" I clench my eyes shut and I feel my hand tightening on Chloe's shoulders. "I just try to do good and I fuck everything **up!** " I begin to tremble again and I shake my head. "I'm drowning inside and I can't get this shit **OUT!** " I'm speaking through a clenched jaw and Chloe's arms are tightening around me. "You're Hot as fire and I'm calm as water..."

_How quaint..._

"Kate, you don't mess everything up." She begins rubbing my back and I sigh, relaxing slightly. "You do what you can and you make mistakes. It's only human. You're an amazing person who's been bottling up all of these toxic emotions. You need to get them out and not let them build, love!" She places a hand on the back of my head and pulls it into her shoulder. "You need to vent."

I take a deep breath, nodding. "I will. I have different things that I do to help me calm down. I..." I pull back looking at her. "One of them is playing guitar. You mind if I do that a little before my sisters come over?"

"I don't mind." She kisses my forehead and sits up. "Just let me know if you need me."

I stand up and move over to my desk, blowing my nose and taking a sip of water. I go to the closet and pull out the old guitar. I tune it and clear my throat, looking at the wall, beginning to strum the somber chords. "If you must wait, wait for here in my arms as I shake." I look over to Chloe and see that she is looking at me curiously. "If you must weep, do it right here in my bed as I sleep." I move my body slightly so that I am facing her. "If you must mourn, my love mourn with the moon and the stars up above. If you must mourn, don't do it alone." Chloe smiles and holds a hand over her heart. "If you must leave, leave as though fire burns under your feet." Her face saddens as her body moves to the sound. "If you must speak, speak every word as though it were unique" I feel my stomach tighten as I think of the next line. "If you must die, sweetheart, die knowing your life was my life's best part" I see tears coming from the corners of her eyes. "If you must die, remember your life." I close my eyes and force the tears away. "You are. You are. Oh, you are. You are. Oh." I open my eyes again and look at Chloe, who has her hands on her shoulder, rocking gently in place. "If you must fight, fight with yourself and your thoughts in the night" She nods slowly and I feel my stomach begin to unknot a little. "If you must work, work to leave some part of you on this earth." We share a smile, tears drying on our faces while new ones wait to fall. "If you must live, darling one," The music flows from my fingers as I stare at the woman I love. "Just live. Just live. Just live."

I set the guitar down and stand up, walking over to Chloe. She wraps her arms around me and sniffles, resting her chin on my shoulder. "I love you, Kate."

"I love you too, Chloe." I close my eyes, the final few tears being pushed out of my eyes. "I love you too."

 

_ **Chloe:** _

As I pull myself together, Kate and I get dressed in some sweats. We lay on the bed, holding each other close. I can feel her chest, rising and falling as she clings to my arm, her head resting on my chest.

_She is a fierce protector and yet she'll fall to pieces in my arms. She can weather any storm, but I could break her with a few choice words. She's so damn special and she loves **ME!** And she trusts me...with everything she holds dear._

I hear a small knock on the door, followed shortly afterwards by a louder one. Kate clears her throat and takes a deep breath, not moving. "Come in, guys."

The door opens and Kate's sisters come in, taking a seat on the couch. Max looks over at us and smiles, leaning against Victoria. "So, you guys all good?"

"Yeah." I look down at Kate and smile. "We've go it from here."

"Okay, let us know if you guys need anything." Victoria smiles at us. "Good night, everyone."

We all say goodnight and the door closes, leaving me to look over at the younger Marsh girls.

_Well, now they're the only Marsh girls, seeing as how Kate is now one Misses Price._

Lynn looks over at us and tilts her head to the side, soon smiling and looking to her little sister. Jesse looks at Lynn and then over to Kate and I. "Kate, why do you like a girl?"

I hear Kate sigh and she sits cross-legged and I join her. She pats the bed infront of us. Jesse and Lynn come over, sitting on the bed and facing us. "Lynn, Jesse, I don't have all the answers. But I will tell you what I do know. I was always like this. I didn't really understand it until I was older and it's not something that you just know. It wasn't more than a few years ago that I started to figure things out. It's nothing to take lightly, but it's nothing to be ashamed of." She begins to play with her hands and she looks over at me, making brief eye contact. "I know that this is very confusing and I'll answer any questions that you have about it. But before we talk about anything else, you two have to understand something. There is nothing wrong with me for being what I am, but others wont see it that way. I'm still the same person I've always been, but if others learn that I'm gay, they will be too bitter and angry to understand." She holds her hands out and looks at both of them. "Will you two agree to not talk with any of this stuff with your friends or the people at church?" Lynn nods immediately, taking Kate's hand. Jesse thinks for a moment, nodding and taking Kate's hand herself. "It's settled then." Kate smiles and leans her head on my shoulder. I lean against her and smile.

 

_ **Max:** _

I watch the wall and take a deep breath.

_I know that she's hurting. I don't want her to go back to the razors. She's been doing so good..._

"Max..." I turn around and look at her. She is sitting on my couch, her shoulders slumped and her head down. "Don't be mad..." Her voice waivers a little at the end and I sit up, looking at her.

"It's okay, Vic. Just tell me what's going on." I keep my voice low and calm, trying to keep myself from sounding upset. She stands up, still looking down. She removes her skirt and looks over at me, tears making their way along her cheek. "Oh, Vic...." I look at the fresh scars on her leg and I walk over to her, pulling her into a tight embrace. "When?"

"The other night." She sobs quietly. "I was feeling okay and then I was just freaking out." Victoria clings to me and I hold her by her waist. "I've been doing it for so long and it's been so hard trying to stop."

"It's okay Vic. This was never going to be easy." I pull her over to the bed. I set her down on the edge of the bed, kissing her forehead. I walk over to my dresser, digging through the spare drawer and pulling out a small plastic container that I made a few days ago. I walk over to Victoria again, kneeling infront of her and examining her wounds. "You took care of these, right?"

"Yes. It hurt a hell of a lot, but I did it." She smiles bitterly and shakes her head.

"Okay, I'm going to put on some fresh bandages." I take out some gauze and begin to cover the wounds.

"Baby..." I look up at her face, seeing that it is sad, yet hopeful. "You're going to help me get through this, right?"

I nod and smile slightly, finishing the bandages. "Yes, of course. I'm here for you Vic, just like you're here for me." I finish and close the kit, putting it back in it's place. "We're a team, you know." I walk back and lay down on the bed. "You and I are each other's better halves. I rely on you to keep me from getting too nutty, but I am also here to keep you from falling back into the dark place you were at before we got together." Victoria slowly lays down with her back to me and I wrap my arm around her waist.

"Thank you, Max." She gently leans back into me. "I can't do this alone."

"Well it's a good thing that you don't have to." I kiss her shoulder and smile, closing my eyes and letting her scent come in through my nose and feeling her warmth against me. I hear her breath slow and her body relax. I just hold her while she begins to sleep and I let myself follow her to dream land.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Until Next Time, Read On.


	18. Raising Moral

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GOT MY COMPUTER! (Space bar is worn out so I'm sorry if there are any missing spaces).

_ **Kate:** _

I groan as light hits me through my eyelids. As I slowly open my eyes, I notice that something is off. I am not holding Chloe, but instead I am on the floor, Lynn leaning against my shoulder.

_What? OH, I remember..._

 

_ **Kate (last night):** _

"So, is there anything that you girls want to do? We could watch a movie if you want." I move my head, looking back at Chloe. She smiles at me and nods. I look back at Lynn who is nodding but Jesse is hesitating. "Jesse, you don't have to if you don't want to."

"I hope you don't mind..." She looks down and starts to pull at the skin on her thumb. "I kinda wanna just rest. Is....is that okay?"

"Of course. You can lay down on the couch or the bed and the rest of us will just watch a movie."

"O-okay..." Jesse sniffles and I pat her shoulder. She moves closer and hugs me so tight that I have to take a moment to just breathe.

"What's wrong, sis?"

"I'm scared Kate..." I rub her back and hold her closer. "I'm scared that I did something. I know you said that it's not our faults but I still feel bad."

"That's okay. Things are going to be different, but I promise you it's not your fault. Things will only get better, Jesse. I'm sure of it..."

 

_ **Kate (Present):** _

I look down at the laptop. It is sitting on the coffee table that we had pushed aside, closed. I carefully move, picking up Lynn and placing her on the bed, next to Jesse. I sit on the couch and sigh to myself.

_Chloe must be in the bathroom. I should probably check my email and make sure that nothing has come up._

I flip open the laptop and begin gently typing away. I pull up my email and I find that, beyond some new YouTube notifications, there is nothing new. I feel my phone buzz and I pull it out, seeing several new messages and a missed call. I open up my phone and notice that there is now a group text set up with me, Max, and Chloe.

**Max: Guys, we have a little bit of a problem.**

**Chloe: What is it, Maximouse?**

**Max: I am worried about Vic. I want you guys to help me cheer her up a bit. I think that we should have some 1 on 1 time with her here and there.**

**Chloe: Well, Katie and the girls are still asleep, so I'll head over and I can take her out for a walk.**

**Max: Thanks. I owe you one.**

**Chloe: Don't mention it. Now stop texting, I can hear Kate's phone vibrating.**

 

I look at the missed call and see that it is from Max. I press the button to call her back and put the phone to my ear, getting up and walking out into the hallway quietly as the phone rings. "Hello?" Max answers from as she picks up the phone.

"Hey Max. You called?"

"Oh, yeah, I was wondering if you could come over. Chloe and Vic went out for a walk and I was getting a little lonely." She sighs and I can hear movement in her dorm. "Besides, I need someone to talk to." I walk over and knock on her door. "Hold on, Kate. Someone's at the door."

The door opens and I smile at Max. "Oh really now?"

Max smiles faintly and then steps to the side. "Please, come in."

I walk in and look around as Max closes the door. I see that the blinds are drawn and the bedsheets are spread all over. I look at Max's hair and realize how frazzled it is. Max sits on the bed and runs her hand along the sheets. I sit on her couch and sigh to myself. "What's going on Max."

Max keeps looking at the bed and I can see tears forming at the corners of her eyes. "She has nightmares you know..." She finally looks up at me and I see a broken person infront of me. "She remembers, Kate. She remembers how she hurt us..." Max reaches down and starts rubbing her wrist. "Did Chloe tell you about the scars?"

"Yeah, she did." I get up and move over, sitting next to Max on the edge of the bed. "She also told me that the biggest one was from when she found out you hurt yourself."

Max nods and leans against me, beginning to sob and shake quietly. "She hurts so much over what she's done, Kate. I'm together with someone who hurt me, but they also idolized me and they tried to end it all when they pushed me too far."

I rub her shoulder and pull her closer. "Max, I know that it hurts, but you can't blame yourself. The past is the past and everyone makes mistakes. What you have to do is keep on moving forward. You have to keep pushing and fighting for the person that you love. I can assume that she hasn't been doing well?"

Max shakes her head and sniffles. "She hadn't hurt herself in a while, but last night she showed me some new scars that she had. I was a little scared that it took her a little while to tell me, but I was glad that she did. She needs my help, but I'm not going to make her go through this alone."

"I know, Max. She does too. Now, I have something that will help you relax if you want, or we could just stay like this if you'd prefer."

"Gimme a minute. I just need to relax a little."

"No problem." I squeeze her shoulder and I can feel that she has relaxed some. We sit there for several minutes, Max holding onto me while I let her let out her emotions.

"W-what did you have in mind?" I smile and squeeze her for a moment.

"Wait here, I'll be right back." I get up and walk to the door, looking around in the hallway, seeing that no one else is roaming around. I walk to my room, opening the door quietly and grabbing my tea supplies and my speaker. I sneak over to Max's room, closing the doors along my way, and set things up. I get the tea going and get my speaker running, turning the volume low and starting the music on my phone. I look back to Max, seeing that she is holding onto her elbow and watching me. The soft guitar begins to play in the background and Max raises an eyebrow.

_**She seems dressed in all of me. Stretched across my shame. All the torment and the pain, leaked through and covered me.** _

 

 

I smile to at Max and to stands up slowly, walking over to her couch and taking a seat. I sit next to her and we listen to the music quietly while the water boils. After a few minutes, I get up and take the water off the heat, taking out the cups and pouring in the water. I set the kettle on a little cooling rack and get out the tea bags. I give one to Max and put one in my own cup, dunking it a few times. I gently sniff the tea, enjoying the pleasant scent. "So, this is your music?"

"Yep. This is something that I figured you wouldn't mind too much. It's the playlist that I listen to when I'm feeling sad and don't want to listen to some of the heavier stuff. Which isn't very often, but it does happen."

"Nice." Max smiles faintly and we sip at our tea, enjoying the pleasant quiet that has come on us as we listen the the music.

 

\-------------------------- 

As time goes on, the music begins to get more sad, and so I take my phone and pause the music, going through my music. "Hey Kate...?"

"Yeah Max?" She is biting her lip and looking at the floor.

_That usually means that she is struggling with something. I hope that it's nothing too bad..._

"Do you...do you have anything on there for someone who's getting into some heavier music?" Max is looking at the floor and I can see a blush forming on her cheeks. "I've heard some of the stuff that you sang along to and...honestly I was kind of wanting to look into it."

I smile and tap her shoulder, making her look at me. "I'll help you out here. I only ask one favor."

Max perks up for a moment, and then looks a little skeptical. "What is it?"

"Tell me if this is too intense for you. I might push you a little too far out of your comfort zone and I need to know. Also, do you want to keep this a secret for the time being? We both know how much Chloe will freak out if she knows her best friend is getting into heavy music." Max nods and gives a thumbs up. "Okay. I got a good song to start out with. Nothing too intense and I think that it might not be as intense as the stuff you've heard before, but I'm taking it slow." I press play on the song that I want. The riffs begin coming from the speaker and I turn it up ever so slightly. The sound fills the room and I nod along.

_**I can't remember anything, Can't tell if this is truth or dream...** _

Max looks over at me a little surprised but keeps listening anyways.

_**...Hold my breath as I wish for death, oh please God wake me...** _

Max nods along as the beat eventually changes. The riffs get stronger and the beat picks up.

_**...Darkness, imprisoning me, all that I see, absolute horror. I cannot live, I cannot die. Trapped in myself. Body my holding cell...** _

I see her smile stretching wide and the bobbing of her head picks up.

_**...Landmine, has taken my sight. Has taken my speech, taking my hearing. Taken my arms, taken my legs, taken my soul. Left me with life in hell...** _

By the end of the song, we and both pretty hyped up. When the song ends, the next one begins and I smile to myself, realizing what's playing. I turn it up more and smirk.

_**Hey you, hey you, devil's little sister, listen to your twisted transistor. Hold it between your legs, turn it up, turn it up...** _

Max is blushing, but still nodding her head along with a big smile on her face.

 

_ **Chloe (Before Kate woke up):** _

I scratch my head through my beanie as I knock on the door quietly. I hear some quiet movement inside and then Max is at the door. "Damn. You look like shit, man."

"Thanks Chloe, you always know how to make me feel better." Max rolls her eyes and shakes her head slightly.

Victoria walks over and hugs Max from behind. The girl turns around and Vic leans down, kissing her passionately. "I'll be back later, alright? We'll do whatever you want, okay?"

Max nods and pecks Victoria's cheek. "Keep her safe, Chloe." Max walks off and closes the door behind Victoria.

"So Vic, what's up?" I begin walking down the hallway and I can hear her coming up behind me, finally seeing her in my peripheral vision.

"Oh, the usual. Feeling like shit and trying to kick an old habit. You know how it is."

"Yeah, I do." I stop at the dorm door, stepping through it and waiting for Victoria to walk next to me. I close the door behind her and look around. "I don't know who might be around so we need to keep this short and sweet but I need you to know that I'm here for you. I've gone through some bullshit myself and I am more than willing to help you in anyway that I can."

"Thanks, Chloe." Vic smiles at me, nodding slightly. "That means a lot."

"No problamo, Icky Vicky. Now, lets go for a nice walk through the cool morning air." She chuckles and I smile wide, seeing my antics are helping.

_Come on, Victoria, let's just be happy for a little while._

\-------------------------------

"Thank you, for doing this for me." Victoria looks over at me as we round the corner of a building in town. "I really needed to get out of that place."

"Yeah, I know the feeling. I've always liked getting around when there aren't lots of people around. It's kinda nice when there isn't anyone on the streets. Besides, it's quite pretty at this time of morning." We turn another corner and find ourselves next to the two whales. "Welp, here we are. The great kitchen."

"You gonna grab something and head out?"

"No, I'm going to sit down and eat with my friend like a civilized person."

"F-friend...?" I can hear the surprise in her voice and so I look at Victoria. Her mouth is slightly open and her face is turning a little red.

"Yes, Vic. Friend. You are my friend. You are dating my best friend since kindergarten and I am hella protective, but you've grown on me. I know that it might be hard to believe, but you are someone that I like being around these days."

She is quiet for a moment, and then she closes her mouth, nodding a little. "Thanks."

We walk into the Two Whales and I find us a seat near the end of the restaurant. After a couple minutes, My mother is standing before us and she has her notepad out. "Hey you two." She looks over at Victoria and smiles. "How's Max doing?"

"Oh, she's doing well." Vic nods a little and smiles. "We spent sometime looking after Lynn and Jesse last night. Those two are lovely."

Joyce nods and looks over at me, a smirk appearing on her face. "So, daughter of mine. How's the married life treating you?"

"Oh, you know. A little of this, a little of that." I crack my knuckles and stretch a little, yawning in the process. "She's having a bit of a hard time with everything that is going on, but that is to be expected really."

"Yeah." The mood goes somber for a moment, but the my mom blinks a few times and looks down at her notebook. "Well, lets get this going. What do you two want on this fine morning?"

"I'll take some waffles." Victoria pipes up, smiling wide.

"Ditto." I think for a moment and then look back at Vic. "And we should eat those at a decent pace because you have school today."

"Oh, shoot. You're right." She pulls out her phone and looks at the time. "I don't have any classes for about another hour, but I think Kate will have some classes soon."

My mom nods for a moment and then sighs. "I'll be back with those soon."

I pull out my phone and dial Kate's number. It takes a few rings longer than usual, but she picks up. "Hey Chloe! Where are you?"

"I'm at Two Whales with Vic. I was just calling to remind you that you have classes today. You should also remind Max just to make sure."

"No need, I heard you. Kate's in my room, we were just going to get off to our classes." Max says, the phone clearly being on speaker.

Victoria looks over at me and holds out a hand. "Hey, Vic wants to say something. Hold on." I hold the phone out to her and she takes it.

"Hello?...Hey guys...I'm fine...really....YES really...I will, you guys be safe too...okay...yeah...see you guys soon." She hands the phone back to me and I put it to my ear.

I clear my throat and looks around. "Hello?"

"I'm here, Chloe." Kate's voice comes through the line, clearer than before. "You're off speaker. I love you and I'll be seeing you later. I told Lynn and Jesse that they are to stay in my room and only unlock the door for either you, me, Max, or Vic. When you get back, just hangout with them and make sure that they don't burn down the dorms, okay?"

"Okie dokie artichokie." I hear some giggling from the other end of the line and I see Vic rolling her eyes and smiling. "See you later love."

"See you later." Kate hangs up and I sigh happily, running my hand through my hair and taking off my beanie for a moment.

"You're a real child at heart. You know that, right?"

"Why yes, I do Victoria. I wear that as a badge of honor."

"What, that you've never grown up?" Her words sound like the old Victoria, but her smile and lack of venom in her voice takes away the antagonizing undertone.

"No, that I've been able to keep having fun even after dealing with assholes and prudes all the time." I smile back at her and we wait for our waffles to come out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am going to be going for a Friday upload for my stories. I'll let you all know if there is going to be a schedule change and I hope that I keep writing stories that you people enjoy.
> 
> Songs: Vermilion part 2 - Slipknot, Twisted Transistor - Korn.
> 
> Until Next Time, Read On.


	19. These kids, they are fine

_ **Kate (Present):** _

I watch the clock tick by slowly, the anticipation gnawing away at me.

_Uuugh, I can't wait for class to be over. I need to get back to Chloe..._

"...and now, we have what I like to call 'lazy photography tricks' or as your generation knows it, photoshop." I blink a few times, looking over at Mister Jefferson. He is looking around at the class, his arms crossed over his chest while he rests against his desk. He yawns and shakes his head. "Well, I've lectured you all enough for one day, I'll let you all do your own thing." He moves around and sits in his chair, pulling out his flask and taking a swig. I look over at Taylor and Courtney, seeing them look at each other. I grin and shake my head, looking down at my sketch book.

_I loved it when Jefferson gave them the what for. I think I'm going to laugh inside every time I see cream soda._

"Hey Kate." I look up and see Victoria looking over at me, a concerned look on her face.

"Hmmm? What is it?"

"Well," She leans in and looks around, speaking in a whisper. "You're crying."

"Oh?" I reach up, running my finger under my eye. When I pull it back, I see that it's wet. "Oh, I didn't notice..."

I feel a hand on mine and I look over to see Max squeezing my hand for a second before taking her hand away and crossing her arms. "What's on your mind Kate?"

"Well, I guess it's just the whole thing with my mom. Lynne is okay with it because she trusts me. Jesse on the other hand, she can't shake the feeling that she's to blame." I sigh and peak at the clock for a moment.

"Miss Price." I look over to see Mister Jefferson standing at our table, a smile on his face. "Is it true that Kate Marsh has married  _the_ Chloe Price?"

I chuckle and nod. "Yeah, it's true." I hold up my hand and show him the ring. "The name change is recent and we haven't been married too long, but we're really enjoying it."

"Well, you are living up to your reputation of Saint Marsh."

"Oh? How so?" I raise an eyebrow and his smile grows a little.

"Well, anyone who can tame Chloe Price enough to put a ring on her finger has something special about them."

"You know Chloe?"

"Oh yes, I remember her from being a substitute teacher for the high school. She was a character."

"And she still is. But, to be fair there is not taming Chloe, just knowing what to say."

"Ahh, I see. Well, congratulations." He holds out his hand and I shake it. "I'm glad that you found happiness, Not everyone does." He looks around our table and sighs. "You know, if you guys wanna leave you can. I haven't got anything else and I'm sure you gals have something you'd rather be doing than sit in class."

"Well, that would be nice. Are you sure you can let us out though?" Max puts her notebook into her messenger bag and looks at our teacher.

"The method to my madness is this: it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. Besides, it's my classroom." He shrugs and backs up, clapping his hands. "Alright class! I have a reward for all of the good students in the room! If you are model students and you wish to leave, feel free." Everyone gets up and begins walking to the door. "Taylor and Courtney, sit down!"

Everyone jumps a little at the sudden yelling, attention soon going to Taylor and Courtney. "What? Why can't we go?!"

"Because you two are both at least 2 days behind in your work and you each have more attitude than an angsty teen convention. I'll say it again, you two sit down." Everyone in the room holds their breath, looking around. Taylor and Courtney huff and sit down, everyone else leaving. I walk out behind Max and Victoria, sparing a final glance into the classroom on my way out.

As we reach the front door, Max bumps me with her elbow and I look over at her. "Is it just me, or does Jefferson have some beef with Taylor and Courtney? I know very well that they're not the only ones that are a little behind in class, but they're the only ones that he kept behind."

"Well, they did kinda make his shit list when they tried to threaten his job." I look over at Victoria as we walk towards the dorms. "I mean, if I were in his position and some little shit said that they'd get me fired for getting them in trouble when they were being jerks I would go by the book and use every opportunity to make things harder for them."

"Aweee, I like it when you think you can still be mean." Max kisses Victoria on the cheek and shakes her head.

"What does that mean?" Victoria crosses her arms as we reach the dorm courtyard. We stop in front of the dorm entrance and Max smirks.

"You wouldn't hurt a fly anymore." She crosses her own arms and I feel like I'm caught in the middle of a stand off. "You are so nice now that you just don't have it in you."

"I still have it in me, I just don't do it because I care about you guys. If someone was coming after one of you or I felt honestly threatened I could fall back into old habits."

I clear my throat and step between the two of them. "Hey, guys, I have an idea."

"What is this idea Kate?" Max leans against the railing for the stairs, looking into my eyes with an unintentionally intimidating stare.

"How about we go inside and hand out, just the six of us." Max raises an eyebrow and I chuckle. "I'm counting Lynn and Jesse."

"Yeah, I'm game. How about you love?" Max looks around me and I turn to Victoria.

She has a smirk on her face and she shakes her head, moving around me and putting her arm around Max, who happily leans into her as we continue into the dorms. "You know Max, you're starting to talk like Chloe."

"Am not!" Max laughs and shakes her head. "I talk like I always have."

"You called me love a moment ago, that's kind of a Chloe thing. Plus you've always talked a little bit like her."

"Well," Max takes a step back as we reach our dorm rooms. "I've been around her since kindergarten, bite me." Victoria gets a shit eating grin and leans in, biting Max's neck. "Ahh...Hey now, if you're bite me you're gonna have to buy me dinner first."

Victoria leans in and whispers just loud enough for me to pick up, "But you're my dinner..."

"Okay now! Let's chill out here." I grab the handle to my room and turn it slightly, looking at Max and Vic. "Keep it PG in here. I'll give you two a minute to yourselves."

They nod and Victoria pulls Max into her room, closing the door. I can hear something thunk against the door and I roll my eyes, finally going into my room. Chloe is laying on the floor, sprawled out like a star fish with Lynn and Jesse on top of her, both snoring quietly. Chloe looks over at me and smiles wearily, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "Hey love." Her voice is only a bit quieter than normal, but my sisters have always been heavy sleepers.

_Come to think of it, I have the same problem sometimes._

"Hey, Chlo." I close the door and walk over, laying down so that we are facing opposite ways, our heads right next to each other. "How was your day?"

"Oh, it was fun. I never knew how much I'd enjoy this kinda thing." She smiles and turns her head towards me. We sit there for a minute, just staring at each other. "Katie..."

"Yeah Chloe?"

"Have you ever thought of having kids?"

I blink a few times, looking at her face that looks upside down from my angle. "W-well....No, not really. I figured that since I was gay I wouldn't be able to be a parent..."

Chloe nods slowly, giving me a sad smile. "Well, If we're honest with each other, I've always kinda wanted kids. Even knowing that I wouldn't be able to make one with my life partner." Her smile fads and I can see a few tears well up in her eyes. "I want to be a mother, Kate. I want to have kids..." I feel the butterflies start to move around in my stomach, making me blush.

"Are you sure that you'd want to have kids with me...?"

"Katie, I love you. I got married to you because I can't stand being without the best thing to ever happen to my life, you..." A few tears spill out onto her face, slowly streaming down. "I wouldn't want to have kids with anyone but you..." Her voice breaks and I move over. She raises her head and I move in, letting her set it in my lap. I gently run my hand through her hair, saying loving words.

After a few minutes, there is a knock at the door. "That's Max and Vic. Time to get back to business."

"Yeah." She sighs and sits up, Lynn and Jesse groaning and slowly getting up. "Thank you, Katie. For everything."

"No problem love, no problem." I lean in a give her a short, yet passionate kiss. She sighs happily and smiles into the kiss, looking up at me as I walk over to the door, opening it up to reveal Max standing there with Victoria hugging her from behind.

"Hey you guys, lets have some fun." Max speaks up, making my sisters smile and nod.

"Heck yeah, let's get this party started! Woo!" Chloe jumps up and smiles wide, causing Max to laugh.

"Well, someone's happy."

"Oh, you have no idea." Chloe looks at me and smiles, making me smile back.

_I wonder if Chloe and I would be good mothers...?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Until Next Time, Read On.


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